The Blinn College softball team fell just a couple wins shy of qualifying for nationals in 2016. This season, the Buccaneers' five returning players are determined to return to the national championship picture.
"The returning players have a sharp focus of getting back and performing well at nationals," said head coach Rick Church.
The returning players will be aided by the deepest pitching staff Church has had in his 17 previous season at Blinn.
That pitching depth begins with second-team all-conference returning starter Sam Junkin (Hunt). Junkin led Blinn in innings pitched (147) and finished 2016 with an 18-4 record and an earned run average of 2.76.
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi transfer Colleen Bentke (Brenham) is a left-handed pitcher who gets better each time she pitches. Kamryn Boucher (Tomball) pitched strong in the fall and is easing into the pitching rotation. Emily Noah (Midlothian) and Shelby Achille (Alvin) are pitching assets who can hit and play the field as well, while Shay Watson (Huffman) is coming off an injury but could see time in the circle.
"Coach Jami Ingram has done a great job of bringing this pitching staff together," Church said. "There is no drop off with this pitching staff because each pitcher has a strength."
Outfielder Nicole Garcia (Sugar Land), a first-team all-region and all-conference selection who led the Buccaneers in batting average (.404) last year, likely will be at the top of the batting order.
Outfielder Kalli Edwards (Vidor) earned second-team all-conference in 2016 with a .354 average and stole 17 bases.
Katy Sawyer (League City) played catcher last year, hit .330, and likely will see time at first base. Alyssa Hitt (Kingwood) played in 24 games and can play at second or third base.
Two freshmen will see time behind the plate. Calli Birch (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) has a strong arm and can play the infield and outfield. Amy Alexander (Alvin) will receive time behind the plate while Alivia Villareal (New Braunfels) can catch or play on the corners of the infield.
In the infield, Gabriela Gomez (Bloomington, Calif.) is an incoming freshman who can play at shortstop or second base. Emily Taylor (Spring) will play either at short or third base, while Makalah Norman (Pearland) is a utility player who can either play infield, outfield or even catcher.
Alyssa Vega (College Station), a transfer from Northeast Texas Community College, is a good hitter who play third base or come in to pinch hit. Chelsea Armendariz (Del Valle) has good power and can play either first or third base.
In the outfield, freshman Morgan Gray (Houston) is a speedy, lefty slapper who can play any position in the outfield. Abbie Olejniczak (Kingwood) can play in either left or right.
"As a coaching staff, we have to find our best lineup because we have a very versatile team," Church said. "I am excited to see how many runs we can put on the board and see which players come up huge in clutch situations."
Blinn will open the season with the 2017 Galveston College Invitational starting Friday, Jan. 27 with games against Tyler Junior College, Wallace State Community College-Hanceville and Snead State Community College. The Buccaneers open the season against Tyler at 9 a.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 34 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
With an enrollment of 19,422 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
