Angie and Jen Domschot, Lynsey Ebel and Nikki Rouhana are gone. Four members that helped propel the Bowling Green softball team to a MAC East Division Championship and have their names throughout the BG records books graduated after last season. But the 2002 team does not have a total new look despite its big losses.
The Falcons return 15 letterwinnners from last year’s squad including the entire pitching staff. BG coach Leigh Ross-Shaw is hoping that this new look squad can do what her previous three squads were unable to accomplish – win a MAC Tournament Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons were picked to finish third in the East Division behind Kent State and Ohio in the league poll.
“I’m tired of coming up short in the (MAC) Tournament,” Ross-Shaw said. “I think we’re all tired of it. We don’t want to be happy just to go there. Our goal will continue to be to win the division and to win the tournament.”
BG, will try to continue its success from last year with an early season start at the Woth/Icebreaker Tournament at Tennessee State this weekend.
BG coach Leigh Ross-Shaw is optimistic about her team on both sides of the ball.
“Offensively, I think some people will be surprised this year,” Ross-Shaw said. “We have some people that are ready to step up and be leaders at the plate. They’re not going to sit around and wait for Ebel, ‘Ro’ (Rouhana) or the Domschot twins to do it. These kids feel like, ‘Hey, it’s my turn now. I’ve got to be the one.'”
“Our defense, finally, is very strong,” Ross-Shaw said. “We’ve really worked hard on that and it has improved each year. We have played a lot of kids at a lot of different places and they’ve played well together.”
The Falcons will get their first test today with a doubleheader against Tennessee State. BG will also face Bradley, Louisville and Virginia later on in the weekend. BG will try to outshoot its 35-19 record from last season. One of the Falcons strong points that could lead them to another division title is pitching.
The staff includes seniors Andrea Genter, Jessie Milosek and Rebekah Tipton. They will also get added experience from junior McKenna Houle, an All-MAC First-Team selection and sophomore Jody Johnson.
“The pitching is going to be our strength,” Ross-Shaw said. “We are very deep and have a lot of experience on the mound. We may not score as many runs, but I’m hoping that we can hold other teams to less.”
Offensively, the Falcons return sophomore Candice Fenton, who had the highest batting average last season at .375 and senior Renee Rosemeier, who was second on the team in RBI’s with 39.. The Falcons also return offensive experience in seniors Holly Frantz and Natalie Phillips.
“They (the seniors) are perfect examples of kids that know how hard you need to work to get there on that field,” Ross-Shaw said. “They had to sit and wait their turn and they know this is their chance. I’m excited with the way the senior class is handling the team and keeping the kids focused.”
Portions of this story were taken from www.bgsufalcons.com.
