Junior right-hander Rylee Bouillion and the Scots open play on March 14 in Ft. Myers, Fla.

A mix of familiar and new faces will dot the diamond this spring for The College of Wooster softball team, as the Fighting Scots look to replace numerous veterans, including the top three names on the program's all-time career hits leaderboard. Acting head coach Jeff Bricker feels that this year's squad is more than up to the task.

"Myself, I'm excited about (the season)," said Bricker, a veteran coach at the collegiate level with over two decades of baseball coaching experience. "I'm kind of going into it cold turkey, having only watched a handful of (softball) games last year. After a few weeks of practice, I'm very encouraged about the things that are going on. The team is working hard, and our hitting looks to be strong. We've got four pitchers, two top-end pitchers in Maddy (Chase) and Jenna (Kendall). The other two (Rylee Bouillion and Lauren Abbott) are coming along nicely. I feel very, very positive about the hitting and the pitching, and the defense is improving every day.

Seniors Kasey Fiedler and Marissa Gorvet will look to provide the veteran leadership for the Scots. Fiedler will take over behind the plate for Paige Goldberg, the program's all-time hits leader, while Gorvet can play either middle infield position, replacing the likes of Skye Patterson and Carly Schoenstein, two of the top middle infielders in the history of the program.

"Kasey swings the bat good, and should be solid behind the plate," commented Bricker when highlighting his pair of seniors who will be sliding into projected starting roles. "She should give us some good leadership there (at the catcher position)."

"Marissa does everything good," continued Bricker. "She is kind of the real leader of the team who has the pulse of things that are going on (in the program). She wants to play, having spent three years working at it. I expect big things out of her."

Offensively, the Scots return a strong junior class, highlighted by all-conference performer Stephenie Little, who is projected to make the move across the diamond to first base. Little turned in the second-highest batting average (.342) on the team a year ago, and is one of Wooster's most experienced returnees, having started every game last year.

"Her statistics kind of speak for themselves," added Bricker. "She's a really good hitter and the ball jumps off of her bat. She has good power."

Classmates Jenna Kendall and Linea Brouse will look to compliment Little at the plate. Kendall, a .318 hitter a year ago, led the team with four homers. In fact, 13 of her 27 hits went for extra bases. Brouse put together a solid .290 clip at the plate with a team-best 10 doubles and 24 RBI, a total tops amongst returnees.

Sophomore Jamie Kenyon played well in limited opportunities, sporting a .333 average with 15 hits on the year. Kenyon will compete for at bats in the outfield.

Other returning impact position player include senior Taylor Raybuck, a three-year starter in left field, who will look to repeat her strong start from a year ago, that included a .343 average at the plate during the Florida trip.

In the circle, Bricker will count on sophomore Maddy Chase to lead the staff while Kendall will see significantly more innings in addition to her time at third base. Chase is also projected to log significant at bats this season, and will play on the left side of the infield when not in the circle.

Chase made a team-high 18 appearances in the circle, including 16 starts last year, while logging a team-best 88 2/3 innings pitched. The right-hander tossed the second perfect game in program history, with three strikeouts, eight ground outs, and four fly outs during a 9-0 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology last year. She went on to earn NCAC Player-of-the-Week accolades during the spring trip.

Kendall turned in a 3.50 ERA over 24 innings of work last year, making six total appearances, including four starts.

Bricker will also look to Bouillion (22 innings pitched a year ago) and Abbott to provide valuable innings in relief.

First-years Chelsea Copley and Bridget Serrurier figure to challenge for significant action right away.

The Scots' schedule begins with a 16-game spring trip to Florida from March 14-24. Wooster opens the northern portion of its schedule with a twin bill at the University of Mount Union on March 31, and does not play a home tilt until a double-dip with Ohio Wesleyan University on April 12. Highlighting the northern portion of the schedule is a home conference doubleheader against DePauw University, ranked third in the preseason National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25, and a pair of non-conference games at 2015 NCAA Div. III Tournament participant Heidelberg University.

"We don't have a lot of experience," said Bricker when summing up this year's squad. "We have some upperclassmen, but their playing time has been limited. The Florida trip is going to be very important to get down there and solidify a lineup. (We need to) see that we have everyone in the position that we think they should be playing. It can change in a hurry once we get out on a real field. We have a lot of unknowns."