Weekly Washburn Softball Notes

Leading Off
• The Washburn Lady Blues will open the 2010 season on the road for the second time since the 2005 season at the Angelo State Blue and Gold Classic in San Angelo, Texas.
• Weather has already postponed the beginning of the ASU Blue and Gold Classic - the event will be pushed back one day with play beginning on Saturday now and wrapping up on Monday morning.
• The Lady Blues are 16-16 in season-opening invitational play under eighth-year head coach Lisa Carey.
•  The Lady Blues are 16-16 in season-opening invitational play under eighth-year head coach Lisa Carey.
• The Lady Blues will take part in five early season tournaments covering a scheduled 22 games prior to opening the home slate with Ottawa on March 17.

Series Notes
Texas A&M International
Overall    WU leads 1-0
Last Meeting    W 10-2, 2/15/08
Streak    W-1

Angelo State
Overall    ASU leads 4-1
Last Meeting    L 5-2, 2/22/09
Streak    L-4

Incarnate Word
Overall    WU leads 3-2
Last Meeting    L 3-4, 3/9/08
Streak    L-1

Texas Permian-Basin
Overall    first meeting

West Texas A&M
Overall    first meeting

What's Next?
The Lady Blues will be back in action Feb. 19-20 at the Fort Hays State Crossover Tournament where they will face Eastern New Mexico and Oklahoma Panhandle on Feb. 19 and then take on Missouri-St. Louis and Eastern New Mexico again the following day.

2010 Season Preview
The Washburn Lady Blues softball team enters the 2010 season with 10 returning letterwinners from a season ago and five players who earned MIAA honors including the reigning conference most valuable player. Add to those returners a talented group of new faces, the Lady Blues have high hopes for the upcoming season coming off last year's 22-31 campaign.
Infielders
Leading the Lady Blues' infielder is senior All-American candidate Tish Williams. Williams was named the conference's most valuable player and first team all-MIAA last season after hitting a school-record 19 home runs with a .384 batting average. Williams led the team and the MIAA with 58 runs scored starting all 53 games at third base.
At shortstop, sophomore Lindsey Moore earned honorable mention all-MIAA honors after finishing fourth on the team with a .298 batting average while batting .361 during the MIAA 20-game slate.
Senior second baseman Ashley Podschun also earned honorable mention all-MIAA honors after batting .339  collecting 57 hits during the season and led the team during the MIAA season with a .377 batting average.
The Lady Blues will have several options at first base this season with sophomore Britny Cushing and freshman Alex Zordel as well as senior Nicole Perkuhn. Cushing played in 20 games last season collecting six hits in 46 at bats. Zordel was a four-time all-state pick from Baldwin, Kan. Perkuhn also pitched for the Lady Blues last season before injuries ended her season early in the circle.
Behind the plate, senior Katie Duncan started 23 games at catcher batting .186 with 16 hits and 11 RBI. Also looking for playing time will be junior college transfer Jacque Horejsi. Horejsi earned honorable mention all-conference and second team all-region honors at Butler County after batting .302 with 26 RBI with five home runs.

Outfielders
The outfielders return two starters from a season ago at the corner spots in left fielder sophomore Marissa Martin and in right fielder sophomore Lindsey Himpel. Martin started 18 games in left last season while batting .207 with 12 hits. She batted .240 during MIAA play. Sophomore Britny Cushing has also seen time in left field during spring practice. In right field, Himpel earned honorable mention all-MIAA honors startting 51 games recording a .258 batting average with a team-high nine outfield assists. Freshman Lauren Mersman will also compete for time in right field.
In centerfield, the Lady Blues will have a new face in freshman Lauren Himpel. Lauren was an all-state pick as a junior and senior while going a perfect 32 of 32 in stolen bases as a junior at Tonganoxie High School.

Pitchers
The Lady Blues will have five pitchers on the roster this season in senior returners Kayla Long and Nicole Perkuhn, sophomore Samantha Farris and freshman Kourtnea Morgan, Taylor Heffern and Kelsie Novotny.
Farris led the Lady Blues in wins last season going 12-16 with a 2.99 ERA earning honorable mention all-MIAA honors last season after lowering her ERA to 2.65 during conference play. She pitched a team-high 182 innings during the season with 21 complete games and three shutouts.
Long finished the season 7-13 with a 3.42 ERA while tossing 15 complete games with two shutouts in 27 appearances.
Perkuhn had her season shortened with injuries making only three appearances in 2009.
Three incoming freshmen will compete for innings.
Kourtnea Morgan earned all-league honors as a senior at Oak Park High School in Kansas City. Taylor Heffern, struck out 155 batters as a junior at Yates Center High School and Kelsie Novotny was a second team all-state pick as a senior at Millard North High School in Omaha.

Schedule
The Lady Blues will open the season on Feb. 13 in the Angelo State Tournament on Feb. 13 against Texas A&M-International in their first action of the season. They will play five games in San Angelo before opening up the Fort Hays State Tournament on Feb. 19 with four games over two days.
The Lady Blues will then have tournaments at the Missouri Southern/Pittsburg State Border Battle (Feb. 26-28) and the Lady Buff Invitational (March 5-6). Washburn will face West Texas A&M in its first doubleheader of the season when they take on the Lady Buffs the day after the tournament wraps up on March 7.
Washburn will then have another four-game set at Missouri Western on March 13-14 before playing its home opener on March 17 against Ottawa.
The Lady Blues will then take part in two MIAA Crossover events - the first will be in Warrensburg, Mo., on March 19-20 and then second one will be in St. Joseph April 16-18.
Sandwiched in between will be another home doubleheader against Dana on March 23. Washburn will then open a four-date home stand on April 2 and play its final home game of the season on April 10 against Missouri Southern.
The Lady Blues will have four straight MIAA doubleheader dates on the road before opening the conference tournament on March 6 in Shawnee, Kan.
NCAA action will begin on May 14 with regional winners advancing to the Super Regional on May 21. The NCAA Division II Champsionships will be held in St. Joseph this season hosted by Missouri Western.

Lady Blues Notes
#1 • Britny Cushing: Slated to start in left field this season after a strong fall slate.
#2 • Lindsey Himpel: Led the Lady Blues with nine outfield assists last season earning honorable mention all-MIAA honors.
#3 • Kourtnea Morgan: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#4 • Taylor Heffern: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#5 • Lauren Himpel: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#8 • Marissa Martin: Collected 12 hits in 20 starts last season as a freshman.
#10 • Samantha Farris: Led the Lady Blues with 12 pitching victories last season earning honorable mention all-MIAA honors.
#11 • Katie Duncan: Batted .186 in 34 starts last season.
#12 • Ashley Podschun: Finished third on the Lady Blues last season with a .339 batting average earning honorable mention all-MIAA honors.
#13 • Lindsey Moore: Batted .361 during the MIAA season last year while making 50 starts at shortstop.
#14 • Lauren Mersman: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#17 • Tish Williams: Her .416 career batting average is the highest in school history entering her senior season.
#18 • Jacque Horejsi: A junior who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#20 • Kelsie Novotny: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.
#21 • Nicole Perkuhn: Will also have an opportunity to play at first base this season as well.
#22 • Kayla Long: Returning to home state as only Lady Blue from Texas.
#23 • Alex Zordel: A freshman who will make first appearance in a Lady Blues uniform this weekend.

Odds and Ends
• Senior third baseman Tish Williams has 49 career home runs which is already the Washburn record - she needs four more homers to set the MIAA record of 53.
• There are two Lady Blues who had hits in their final games from last season - Tish Williams and senior second baseman Ashley Podschun.
• Only Tish Williams and Ashley Podschun are returns who started all 53 games last season - only Williams started all 53 in the field as Podschun started six games at designated player and 47 at second base.
• Only Tish Williams and Ashley Podschun are returns who started all 53 games last season - only Williams started all 53 in the field as Podschun started six games at designated player and 47 at second base.