Pieces Coming Together for Softball in 2025

Excitement is building amongst The College of Wooster softball squad as a new season approaches.

Wooster went 16-22 last year and finished 7-7 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which was their third consecutive year finishing .500 in conference play. A pair of 10-inning games went the wrong way for the Scots, and they were left out of the conference tournament.

Head coach Victoria Rumph always has high expectations of the team, and this year is no different. 

"I believe we have the ability to win conference, but we have to get there first," Rumph said. "That is the number one step - do our business game by game.

"We lost several one-run games, and if we can turn those around it changes everything."

The Scots are led this year by junior team captains Julia Jennings and Ella Wolff. They are two of three returning All-NCAC selections from a year ago, which also includes classmate Emma Hetkey.

Jennings earned the league's inaugural Gold Glove Award in addition to her first-team accolades. She batted a .393 average and collected a team best 27 RBI.

Wolff batted .351 in conference games with a home run and five RBI. She was also a reliable center fielder, committing just three errors in 38 games played.

"They emerged as leaders last year and continued to grow," Rumph said. "This team has each other's backs, and that has a lot to do with the type of leaders Julia and Ella are and the type of people they are."

For Hetkey, she was the only Scot to best Jennings in batting average, hitting .409. She also stole 17 bases batting primarily in the two-spot.

The senior class is just two in Sarah Lodge and Cassie Frangella. A career .240 hitter, Lodge will see opportunities in a corner outfield spot along with Hetkey and sophomore Madi Yankauskas. Frangella will provide catching depth and could see opportunities as a hitter.

The underclassmen have a huge role to fill as the inning-eaters on the mound. Wooster will look to shore things up after NCAC opponents had the third-best batting average (.332) against the Scots.

Last year, Tori Conner claimed the No. 1 role as a first-year and did an admirable job despite being left off the All-NCAC team. Conner threw the most innings (102.1), had the most wins (8) and the lowest ERA (3.49) across the team.

Junior Lynnsey Delio also returns as another innings eater (72.2) from a year ago.

"Lynnsey has continued to develop her pitches and has seen growth in working with coach [Joni] Atkins, and Tori's continuing to do a great job hitting her spots and executing her game plan," Rumph noted.

Three first-years round out the pen with Jillian Meszaros, Kaitlyn Hale and Ashtyn Merlo.

"Jill has come in and done a tremendous job this fall and is ready to face competition," Rumph said. "Like Tori, Kaitlyn hits her spots well and has come in a lot of relief roles in the fall and winter."

Bringing the power is junior Cate Barkdoll. Barkdoll tied for the team lead with three home runs and batted a .296 clip a year ago.

The Scots have plenty of catching depth with Barkdoll and sophomores Jasmine Mueller, Brenna Haydu and first-year Sage Lammlein all in the mix.

The middle infield will look different with Stephanie Griffin-Sanchez graduated, who solidified the shortstop position the past four years.

Junior Katie Mommers has stepped up offensively and defensively this offseason and found her way filling those shoes at shortstop. Meanwhile Lammlein, along with classmate Lynx Lander, Conner and Delio are candidates to play second base.

Jennings has the hot corner at third, while Barkdoll, sophomore Shelby Ellsworth and first-year Addie Nichols may  time at first base.

"Offensively, we have the opportunity to be even stronger and some of the first-year bats can help bolster that," Rumph said.

Finally, a change up in the coaching staff has allowed the group to maximize attention in all areas with the additions of assistant coach Joni Atkins and volunteer assistant Bob Lance.

"Coach Adkins has been working with pitchers doing a great job, building relationships and homing in on skills," Rumph said. "Coach Lance has been working with the outfielders and hitters and our aggression on the bases has taken a significant step forward.

"We're all coaching our strengths and working together in our sweet spots, and it is really paying off for the players."

The Scots open the season with a weekend trip starting Feb. 22 where they'll play two games against Spalding University and two games versus Transylvania University.

After their eight-game spring break trip in Florida, they will return for their home and NCAC opener when they host Wittenberg University.