Clint Thompson
THOMASVILLE — Softball season starts today for Thomas University.
It’s also the start of Bill Wilson’s second year as the Lady Night Hawks head coach. After a 16-25 record a year ago, Wilson is optimistic about his team’s chances.
“The girls have done real well and are working hard,” said Wilson, whose team hosts Faulkner University in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. “We’re excited to get started.”
TU returns eight players that saw ample playing time a year, four of which are starters. Among the returnees are catcher Maggie Allen, the team’s second-leading hitter last year at .308. She also belted three homers and 24 RBIs. Rachel Canaganelli, who also batted .308 in ’09, returns at shortstop. Kenna Hickman will see time at first and third base. After playing in the outfield, Brook Brown will patrol second base.
“I thought she should have been my starter at second base last year,” Wilson said. “This year, she’s really come in and worked hard. I think she’s going to definitely help us there.”
TU is looking for improvement at the plate. In ’09, TU had only three players bat at least .300. The Lady Night Hawks averaged just four runs a game. In preseason so far, however, Wilson has seen significant improvement with his players at the plate.
“Early on, it’s usually slow. I am pleased with the way they’ve approached the hitting and listening to learn,” Wilson said. “We had a few of them last year that they didn’t want to listen for a while. It takes a long time if you’re not willing to listen.
“This year, everybody is working extremely hard.”
A positive for TU is its experience on the mound. The Lady Night Hawks utilized only three pitchers last season, two of which return this year. Courtney Scruggs and Christina Skullas combined for 37 starts and 235 innings in ’09. Scruggs tallied a 3.99 ERA. Skullas notched a team-high eight wins. “The way they’ve looked so far, they’ve really done well,” Wilson said. “We picked it up towards the end of last year. Maybe we’ll get started fast (this year).”
Freshman Ashley Werschmidt is expected to challenge for starting time as well.
“Ashley was a good pitcher coming out of high school. I don’t think she’s up with other two yet,” Wilson said. “We’re hoping that she will continue to work hard and do what she’s been doing to get out there and help us out.”
Following today’s twin bill, TU will host Montreat College and the University of Mobile this weekend. The teams will play each other once on Saturday and once on Sunday. TU will not play in Thomasville again until March 19. Wilson is hopeful his team can compete against a very tough schedule.
“We’ve got an extremely hard schedule. I just looked at the preseason NAIA top 25 in the country, and I think we’re playing 12 of them on our schedule,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a tough schedule. In the same breath, I’ve always scheduled tough teams because I think the only way you get better is to play tough teams and keep working at it.
“It usually takes two or three years to get everything back on track. I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
