WEST CHESTER, Pa.- 2018 was a historic season for the West Chester University softball team as the Golden Rams captured the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship for the second time in program history to advance to the National Finals in Salem, Virginia for the first time since 2014. The Golden Rams also celebrated their fifth consecutive PSAC East title, a 100-game,and the tying of the career home run record tied in the Super Regionals against Gannon. In order to duplicate this historic success in 2019, No. 8 West Chester will look to an immensely talented core of returning players and the addition of talented newcomers to fill any holes left from graduation a year ago.
West Chester returns seven starters from last season including three All-PSAC East selections and two major award winners in the PSAC East Player and Coach of the Year. The Golden Rams earned PSAC East Player of the Year honors in 2018 thanks utility player Bri Garber (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg). Garber is entering her junior season looking to duplicate the success she has experienced in her first two years as a Golden Ram while also making her return to the infield. In Garber's freshman campaign, she registered a batting average of .388, 38 runs, 17 RBI to earn PSAC East Rookie of the Year honors before earning Eastern Division Player of the Year Honors as a sophomore. In her sophomore season, Garber batted a blistering .436 with 59 runs, 84 hits and 34 RBI, which also helped Garber to earn DII CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year Honors in recognition of her stellar performance.
West Chester was recently tabbed No. 8 in the Nation in the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) preseason poll while also being picked to finish atop the PSAC East by the loop's coaches for the sixth year in a row. Head Coach Diane Lokey took these preseason picks in stride as she said, "Having the success we had a year ago has certainly put a target on our back entering 2019, however, we are very excited to be in this position and the team has been working hard to defend its PSAC East and Atlantic Region Titles."
West Chester will begin its quest to make a return trip to the Division II National Finals on Friday morning against Wayne State with that contest scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. before facing Hillsdale at 12 p.m. Friday afternoon.
In the Circle:
West Chester returns three talented pitchers in 2019 as Kelly Tinsman (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame), Jen Hanshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), and Maegen Kavanagh (Easton, Pa./Easton) are all back in the rotation with another year of experience under their belts. The senior Tinsman is the veteran arm on the Golden Rams staff and she also saw the most action a year ago as she appeared in 17 games earning the start in seven of those games. Tinsman pitched to a 7-0 record with an ERA of 2.83 while also making one save and recording three complete games with one of these outings ending in a shutout. Tinsman managed to hold opponents to a .284 batting average as she scattered hits throughout 66.2 innings of work but generally managed to avoid the big inning, which was enough to keep West Chester in games. Hanshaw and Kavanagh saw limited action as well in 2018 as Hanshaw appeared in 10 games earning the start in two of those games and going 1-1 on the year while Kavanagh appeared in 12 games and started in 10 with a record of 3-7 while also registering a no-hitter against Mercyhurst back on February 17th.
West Chester also welcomes a trio of talented newcomers including transfer pitcher Reilly Gearhart (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), freshman pitcher Rachel Butler (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove), and fellow freshman Meghan Sullivan (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast).
"All six of our pitchers got some good innings in the fall and they all looked strong throughout their innings of work" stated Lokey. "I am excited to watch this rotation in 2019 to see who will step up and take over one of the starting jobs as all six will open the season with a chance to prove themselves in the Golden Ram rotation."
Behind the Plate:
Senior Heidi McCollester (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) will resume her catching duties in 2019 after spending time behind the plate throughout her freshman and sophomore campaigns as a Golden Ram. A year ago, McCollester earned All-Conference honors playing a solid first base for the Golden Rams. McCollester is regarded as a very good defensive catcher and she also provides the Golden Rams with solid offensive support. Last season, McCollester ended the year batting .260 with 33 hits, 10 doubles and five home runs including a laser in West Chester's Super Regional Victory over Gannon. McCollester is one of the Golden Rams top-three returning home run hitters from 2018 as she ended the year tied for second with Emily Maseth (Westminster, Md./Westminster) and Jaime Klemas (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick).
"Heidi is excited to be back behind the dish in 2019 after spending the 2018 season at first base" said Lokey. "We are also excited to have her back in the catching role in 2019 as she has solid experience in this role, which may pay dividends for our pitchers. Additionally, the power she provided in our lineup a year ago should prove valuable as I would expect her to help drive in some runs for us in the 2019 season."
Holly Pachella (Wayne, Pa./Radnor), Tori McCoach (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell-Egan), and freshman Olivia Bernstein (Glenside, Pa./Abington) are also serviceable options behind the dish for the Golden Rams and they may see time to help ease the load placed on McCollester as the season progresses.
"Holly, Tori, and Olivia may also see time behind the plate this year as all three are talented catchers who could help to ease the load throughout what can be a long season for catchers" added Lokey.
Around the Infield:
The 2019 Golden Ram infield will have a different look in 2019 as the Golden Rams will look to balance experienced veterans and talented newcomers to be successful this season. Maseth played well at third a year ago after stepping into the starting role at this positions as a result of injuries early in the season. Maseth is expected to return to the hot corner in 2019 with the hope of carrying over the momentum she had gained at the end of last season. In addition to her defensive skills, Maseth also provides a boost on offense as she ended the year as one of the Golden Rams more consistent options batting .333 on the year with 56 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, five home runs, and 30 RBI. Courtney Stump (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) stepped into the starting shortstop role as a result of injuries as well last season. Stump is expected to remain a starter in the Golden Ram infield in 2019, however, she will make the move to first base to take over those duties from McCollester while also serving as West Chester's backup at three other infield spots. The Golden Rams will have a pair of new infielders in 2019 as freshman Emily Kim (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) is slated to open the season as the Golden Rams starting shortstop while the junior Garber will return to the infield after spending much of her first two seasons wearing the purple and gold roaming the West Chester outfield.
Peighton Hornick (Marietta, Pa./Donegal), Emily Webster (Honey Brook, Pa./Twin Valley), McCollester, Maura Casey (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), and Elizabeth Moore (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) are also expected to assist in the Golden Ram infield in 2019 according to Lokey.
"Emily (Maseth) and Courtney ended their sophomore seasons very well for us a year ago as they both ended the season playing great defense while also coming through with clutch hits in the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments, which is something we hope they will be able to build off of" quipped Lokey. "Bri (Garber) is very excited to return to the infield as are we as she is an infielder by trade who served as a talented outfielder over the course of the last two seasons. Emily (Kim) also had a strong fall and is expected to play well for us in 2019 as well. We also have great depth around the infield as Stump can play multiple positions and our backups in Hornick, Tinsman, Webster, McCollester, Casey, and Moore will be able to plugin throughout the infield and help when called upon" said the Golden Rams veteran mentor.
In the Outfield:
Klemas is expected to be the Golden Rams starting left fielder in 2019 as she will build off a strong freshman campaign that saw her mash five home runs in just 19 starts for the purple and gold. Meanwhile, Annamarie Hartman (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep) will be the Golden Rams starting centerfielder once again and she will look to build on what was a very strong freshman campaign for the Arizona native. Hartman appeared in 46 games and compiled a batting average of .331 in these contests with 42 hits, five doubles, a triple, and a pair of home runs to bolster the Golden Ram offense while also playing stellar defense out in center. The right field spot is expected to be a platoon situation to open the season as Caroline Adams (Media, Pa./Renaissance Academy), Alisha Patel (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township), Gearhart, Naiya Murrey (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), and Gillian Thomas (Spring Mills, W.V./Williamsport) will all see time in the Golden Rams outfield throughout the 2019 season.
"As a coaching staff we are excited to see Jaime (Klemas) continue to develop in 2019 after playing very well in her limited opportunities during her freshman campaign a year ago" said Lokey. "Hartman had a banner freshman campaign that following a strong performance in the fall season makes us (the coaching staff) very excited to see what she can do once we get going in 2019. The right field spot is interesting and I will be looking to see who from our talented core of right fielders steps up and claims the everyday starting job as we progress further into the 2019 season."
The Designated Player
Lokey indicated that this may be another platoon situation for the Golden Rams in 2019 "We have a number of talented hitters both returning to and joining our lineup in 2019 so this will be a way for us to get another talented bat into our lineup." Gearhart, Tinsman, Thomas, and Bernstein are all expected to see time in the DP role throughout the spring as they have the capacity to provide an excellent spark in the Golden Ram lineup.
A Look at the Schedule
West Chester will kick off its season early in 2019 as the Golden Rams travel to the Sunshine State twice in the first two months of the season to first compete in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic before returning to compete in the PFX Games a few short weeks later. The Leadoff Classic will be the Golden Rams first Tournament of the season as the head to Clearwater on February 7th with their first games beginning on February 8th. West Chester opens its season on the 8th against two talented programs in Wayne State and Hillsdale before squaring off against perennial powers Lee and Tampa on February 9th. The Golden Rams will conclude their trip on February 10th against West Florida before returning back north. Following this the team is slated to face Bowie State in a doubleheader on February 22nd on their way to the Hawks Classic in Murfreesboro, N.C. where the Golden Rams are scheduled to face U Sciences, Mansfield (twice), and host Chowan. West Chester will play two more games up north following this trip as the squad will travel to Goldey-Beacom on February 3rd before returning to the Sunshine State to play 12 games in seven days. While in Florida the team is slated to play doubleheaders against Stonehill, Molloy, Rollins, and Southern New Hampshire while also playing single games opposite Notre Dame College (Oh.), Fairmont State, Slippery Rock, and New York Institute of Technology.
After this trip concludes the Golden Rams will return home for their longest home stand of the 2019 regular season as they host three consecutive doubleheaders against Pace (3/18), Chestnut Hill (3/20), and Chowan (3/23) before traveling to Jefferson on 3/24 and Wilmington on 3/26. Following this the Golden Rams will open up PSAC play against perennial powers Kutztown (3/29) and Shippensburg (3/30). After hosting Shippensburg, West Chester is slated to embark on a three-game road trip traveling to East Stroudsburg on 4/5, U Sciences on 4/7, and Millersville on 4/12. West Chester will come home for a brief two-game home stand against Kutztown on 4/13 and East Stroudsburg on the 19th before traveling to Shippensburg on the 20th. The Golden Rams will conclude their regular season on April 26th at home against the Marauders of Millersville with that doubleheader slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. Should West Chester qualify for the PSAC Tournament the Golden Rams will be in Quakertown May 1st to the 5th with the hopes of securing a spot in the NCAA Regionals once again, which begin on May 9th.
When asked about the Golden Rams season schedule, Lokey said "I think the early season Tournaments we are playing in will give us a good idea of where we are as a team and where we need to improve as we will face some of the top teams both in the region and in the Nation in the first few weeks of our 2019 season. Every team in the Leadoff Classic ended 2018 above .500 and almost all of those teams qualified for their Regional Tournaments at the end of the 2018 season. This will give us an idea of where we stand nationally, while the Hawks Classic gives us four good regional matchups that should show us where we are from a regional standpoint as we prepare for conference play. My hope is that this challenging schedule to start will allow us to grow and be well-prepared for the rigors of the PSAC East when that begins at the end of March."
West Chester will begin its quest to make a return trip to the Division II National Finals on Friday morning against Wayne State with that contest scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. before facing Hillsdale at 12 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Visit wcupagoldenrams.com all season long for all the latest Golden Ram news, stats, and scores throughout the 2019 softball season.
