March 15

Bulldog Softball on the rise
Young team looks to climb MIAA standings

by: Ed Patino, Adrian College Sports Information Assistant

There are plenty of signs that the rebuilding process is nearing its completion for the Adrian College softball team.

Molly Moore returns to the dugout for her ninth season as head coach of the Bulldogs. Joining her are assistant coaches Mandy Ziegler and Bridget Grall. Ziegler returns for her sixth season with the team, while Grall enters her first year with the Bulldogs after a successful softball career at MIAA-rival Saint Mary’s College. As a four-year starting pitcher and two-year captain, Grall was a two-time All-MIAA selection.

The Bulldogs have one senior and three juniors on a team that posted a 12-24 record and finished eighth in the conference last year. However, several young returners and highly touted freshmen are seeking to help Adrian quickly develop into a league contender.

Eight key players from last season return to the Adrian lineup, including sophomores Carmen Batway and Emily McLane. Both received All-MIAA honorable mention last year. McLane, a returning outfielder, led the Bulldogs’ offense with a .337 batting average. She also scored 18 runs on the season. Batway hit .261 and plated 13 runs. The infielder was second on the team in RBI’s with 16.

Lindsay Tomasak is the lone senior on the roster and will transition from the infield to the outfield. She was Adrian’s leader with 38 hits and 20 runs scored, and was second on the team with a .333 batting average. Twin infielders Amy and Katie Kilimas return for their junior season. Amy hit .303 last year, leading the team with 18 RBI’s, and her four home runs tied for the team lead.

Sophomore Jen Demaree (top picture) belted four home runs last year and returns at catcher.

In the circle, sophomore Lindsay Mandeville (bottom picture) is now the Bulldogs’ most experienced pitcher. Mandeville went 5-12 with a 6.49 earned run average in her first college season last year.
Joining Mandeville in the pitching rotation is junior Andrea Vangoss, a transfer from Macomb Community College who’s making an immediate impact. Vangoss is 2-0 on the season and hasn’t allowed a run. In her first game with the Bulldogs, she held Lyndon State to five hits and struck out four while going the distance. Another new face is sophomore Heather Tanner, a utility player who gives the Bulldogs another pitching option.

Krissy Sheets and Meghan Lohr are two more newcomers making their mark with the team. Sheets, a sophomore outfielder, went 3-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases in the second game on opening day. Lohr, a freshman infielder, brings speed to Adrian’s lineup and stole two bases in her first collegiate game.

The Bulldogs have several more freshmen competing for playing time. Among the first-year infielders are Rachel Batman, Leslie Angle, Meghan Stevens, Beth Haley and Jenna Kloster. Classmates Ashlee Hill and Carly Toth will battle for time in the outfield. Backing up Demaree at catcher are freshmen Bobbi Jo Dixon and Adrienne LaMilza.

Their Spring Break trip includes games with Lyndon State and Milwaukee School of Engineering. After traveling to Concordia University on St. Patrick’s Day, the Bulldogs will face cross-town rival Siena Heights University in their home opener March 19. Adrian swept a home doubleheader from the Saints in 2004, but will look to avenge a Siena sweep last year on the East side.

Conference play begins March 25 when the Bulldogs travel to Kalamazoo College. Adrian will travel to defending MIAA champion Hope College (32-14, 15-1 MIAA last year) on April 10. The Bulldogs conclude the season with three straight league doubleheaders at home against Albion College (April 16), Tri-State University (April 21) and Saint Mary’s (April 30).