Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball 2007 Season Outlook
01/25/2007 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Jan. 25, 2007
By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - When talking to Southern Illinois University head softball coach Kerri Blaylock about her 2007 squad, there are two words that definitely stand out and come up more often than any other.
Experience.
Depth.
It is with good reason that these words are closely associated with a Saluki team that has gone to four NCAA Regionals in the past four seasons and is coming off of a 35-13 campaign in 2006.
SIU returns 13 letterwinners from last year's team, including nine players that started in at least 26 of the Salukis' 48 games. Also in the mix are three 2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference honorees and two All-Great Lakes Region honorees.
There is no doubt that this team knows how to win. With an at-large bid in to the 2006 NCAA Regional in Evanston, Ill., the 2006 senior class became the first class in SIU softball history to advance to a regional championship in each of its four years.
The 2007 senior class hopes to join them after this season. The class of Cassidy Scoggins (P, Owasso, Okla.), Amanda Clifton (C, St. Louis) and Ashley Hamby (P/INF, Arnold, Mo.) have made it to three regionals and won two MVC Championships in their three years. The class has also accumulated a record of 127-44 over that time for a .743 winning percentage - winning nearly three out of every four games it has competed in.
"What is great is that they have all been to a tournament every year, they have won conference two out of their three years, so they know what it takes to get where we want to be," said Blaylock.
The depth comes in with the seven underclassmen that saw a significant amount of action last season along with a talented freshman class that is expected to step in immediately and contribute to the team.
SENIOR CLASS
One of the biggest strengths of the 2007 senior class is pitching. Scoggins, the reigning MVC Pitcher of the Year, and Hamby return for their fourth years in the Saluki bullpen.
Scoggins led the team in 2006 with a 1.09 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 225.1 innings pitched. Seeing the bulk of the action throughout the season, Scoggins compiled a 26-12 record with four saves, ending the season ranked in the top 25 in the nation in wins, saves and ERA.
Hamby stepped in to the No. 2 role that Scoggins had held the year before behind Amy Harre. Hamby posted a 3.20 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched for an 8-1 record.
"It's great having the whole pitching staff back. It's always nice when you don't have to train anybody new," said Blaylock. "I fell like, mechanically, I know what they need to do and with their pitch selection. I know what their strengths and weaknesses are."
Rounding out the senior class is Clifton, a 2006 selection to the MVC All-Tournament Team.
After struggling through the first part of the season, watching her batting average drop to .182 at the beginning of conference play, Clifton turned it on at the plate when the team really needed it and finished the season third on the team in batting with a .315 average.
Clifton's presence is not only felt offensively, but also on the defensive end as she brings a lot of leadership to her position behind the plate.
"Amanda Clifton, for the better part of four years, has started behind the plate. She has really picked up her game offensively, so we look for her to hit in the middle of the lineup and give us a lot of experience behind the plate," said Blaylock.
RETURNING STARTERS
Looking down the 2007 roster, it seems that one of the hardest jobs for Blaylock this season will be making out a lineup card. For seven out of the eight field positions, at least one person currently on the roster has spent some time there.
"Our outfield is very deep. You've got four to five starters in the outfield for three spots," said Blaylock.
Returning in the outfield is Krystal Stein (Nashville, Ill.), Tiffanie Dismore (Lafayette, Ind.), Chelsea Petty (Pinckneyville, Ill.) and Katie Schmidt (Millstadt, Ill.). Stein started 42 games at center field; Dismore started eight games in left field, five in center field and 29 in right field; Petty started 24 in left field; and Schmidt started two in left field, one in center field and one in right field.
In the infield, Becky Wegmann (SS, St. Louis) started 44 games at shortstop and will be the heart of the infield defense.
Sophomore Katie Wagner (Mt. Vernon, Ill.) comes back after starting 26 games at first base last season. On the other corner is Lauren Haas who started 23 games at third base in 2006.
Rounding out the position players are Clifton and Jayme Wamsley (Hermitage, Tenn.) at catcher. The duo split the catching duties fairly evenly last season with Clifton starting 27 games and Wamsley starting 21 as a freshman.
"We've got a lot of people that have played in games. And, not just playing in games that meant something in the regular season, but also in the postseason. Again, this team knows what it takes to get there. Now, if we can translate that on the field, that would be great," said Blaylock.
NEWCOMERS
Adding to the arsenal of players that SIU already has built up is a freshman class that is expected to step in and contribute immediately.
One of the biggest losses from last year's team that has the potential to make 2007 a rough year is Samantha Carter at second base.
But, you won't find Blaylock worrying this spring when Alicia Garza (Lafayette, Ind.) suits up in the gap between first and second.
Recruited for her defensive capabilities, Garza was a pleasant surprise in the fall schedule as she led the Salukis with a .655 batting average. All while putting on an error-free performance at second base.
"Alicia Garza will start immediately at second base. She plays like a veteran and is a very intelligent ballplayer, a very smart kid in the infield. She is smart, and I mean game smart, softball smart," said Blaylock.
"She was our leading hitter in the fall. To me, I'm taking that as a bonus, because when we recruited her we knew how good she was going to be defensively."
Also expected to add depth and step in and contribute quickly are Katie Wilson (OF, Alton, Ill.) and Allie Hanson (UTL, Marion, Ill.).
One look at the Illinois High School Athletic Association record books and you will be very familiar with the names of Wilson and Hanson as their names litter the state batting records.
"Katie Wilson is another of what I'll call a center fielder. Everybody that we've got in the outfield could probably play center field for someone else, but she is going to be right field for us. She's got a good bat, fearless, great summer competition," said Blaylock.
"Allie Hanson understands that she might have to do some DP-ing this year and be versatile and do some things that she hasn't tried before. But, again, tremendous power, coming from a tremendous summer program."
The thing that Blaylock likes most about the freshman class, though, is how they have jumped in and mixed well as part of the program.
"The thing about the freshmen is that they fit. They fit so well so far, they mesh. And when you have a team like ours that has experienced some success, you hope that you can continue that with the chemistry and we have done that with these freshmen," said Blaylock.
OUTFIELD
According to Blaylock, "deep" does not even come close to describing the outfield. With four returning players that started games in the outfield last season, along with a newcomer and others that have the capability to play in the outfield, dispersing playing time could be a challenge.
"It's going to be my job to get them playing time because we've literally got five to six kids that could play on most any other team.
Among those returning in the outfield are SIU's top offensive performers. Stein finished the season with a .314 average and is currently tied for fourth all-time at SIU in career batting average with a .338.
Behind her is Dismore with a .311 average in 2006. Dismore is also ranked in the top 10 all-time at SIU in career batting average, coming in eighth with a .328.
Petty and Schmidt also had good seasons at the plate in 2006. Petty finished the season with a .266 average while Schmidt came in with a .278.
INFIELD
The infield for the Salukis will see a pair of new faces, but like the other positions, will have no shortage of experience.
Wegmann, a mainstay at shortstop the past two seasons will be back for her junior season. She showed a great deal of improvement last season as compared to her freshman year. Not only did her batting average improve almost 100 points, but she had more put outs and more assists with fewer errors.
Wegmann will have a new face sharing the middle infield with her, though, as Garza is expected to step in and take over second base from the get-go. Schmidt is another possibility to see some time at second base during the season.
At the corners, Wagner should retain her spot at first base with Haas stepping in full-time at third base. That's not to say that those positions are set in stone as Blaylock feels that Haas and Wagner could flip while Clifton and Hamby could also see some time at first base.
"I think we are going to do some mixing up. Becky will play short and Garza will play second. I think Schmidt will get some time at second also," said Blaylock.
"And I think, honestly, that our corners could flip-flop. I think Wagner could play some third and first and Haas, honestly, could flip it also. We're very versatile at flipping that around. Also, Clifton and Hamby in the fall got time at first and I'm not afraid to use them at all."
CATCHERS
SIU's depth does not stop at the catcher position with senior Clifton and sophomore Wamsley both returning after splitting time at the position last season.
Clifton turned up the offensive heat after the Salukis' first conference series and finished the season with a .315 average. She also had nine hits for extra bases, giving her a .575 slugging percentage, ranking second on the team.
Wamsley started off the season strong, picking up hits in five of her first six games as a Saluki. Though she cooled off some as the season went on, she still finished the season with a respectable .231 average with four doubles and three home runs.
"We just have two kids that could start at catcher at anywhere else in the league, the Midwest, or even the country. We have two great starting catchers," said Blaylock.
"Wamsley has grown, paid attention and is doing a good job handling the staff. She had a really good fall with her bat, which is what we knew she could do. She hits for power, an extreme amount of power and does a good job driving in runs. Just like with Amanda (Clifton), she does a good job handling the staff and has really come in to her own, so we're very deep."
In the event, though, that Blaylock really wants to switch things up, Wagner and Hanson both have experience behind the plate.
"Allie Hanson this fall, we had a couple of those guys that got hurt and I have no problem putting her back there. And, we've got Katie Wagner that can catch too. We're deep in a lot of areas," said Blaylock.
PITCHERS
In the circle is where the Salukis have the most experience coming back. Led by MVC Pitcher of the Year Cassidy Scoggins, the Salukis have an identical pitching staff from last season, just with another year of experience under their belt.
The biggest question coming in to the season is sophomore Katie McNamara (Putnam Valley, N.Y.). The left-hander saw limited action in 2006, throwing 19.2 innings for a 2.14 ERA. She had 14 strikeouts while giving up 25 hits and seven runs.
"Katie McNamara had a great summer and a great fall. She understands that she has to do some things to be successful and that is not walk people," said Blaylock.
One downside to having an experienced pitching staff is that other teams, especially in your conference, have seen the pitchers several times before.
"That is the thing that is very important with pitching that I think people aren't able to scout you and know exactly what you are doing. We've been working on another pitch for Cassidy, another pitch for Ashley and another pitch for Katie so that we can get some different things going," said Blaylock.
Another area that Blaylock hopes to see some improvement in the pitching staff is sharing the playing time. Scoggins bore the brunt of the playing time in 2006, pitching 225.1 out of 323.2 innings for the Salukis, something that Blaylock hopes does not happen this season.
"You hope that you even it out. What we would really like to do is you know going into conference that you have Ashley and Mac stepping up and splitting equally with Cassidy and just have a really good split. In the non-conference games, everybody needs to throw, everybody needs the experience," said Blaylock.
SCHEDULE
One area that SIU will not see a break in is the competition that it will face as part of the 2007 schedule.
On the team's 62-game schedule, the Salukis have 15 games against 10 teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
The Salukis have non-conference games scheduled against Big-12 member Missouri and Big Ten-member Illinois at home. Southern Illinois will also play in the ultra-competitive NFCA Leadoff Classic for the second year in a row where it will play North Carolina, Hofstra, Auburn and 2005 National Champion Michigan.
SIU also has tournament games scheduled against teams like Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana State and Minnesota.
"This may be the toughest schedule. I said that two years ago, but this may be tougher than two years ago. It's a tremendous schedule. But, if you don't play the best then you can't expect to be the best," said Blaylock.
"If you don't put the time in early, then people aren't going to look at you come tournament time if you haven't played anybody. And the third factor that it gives us is by the time we go to conference, we have already faced the best teams in the country. So, you know, we'll be a little battle tested going into the conference race."
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
When the non-conference portion of the schedule is over, Blaylock is not expecting to get any breaks.
The Valley sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament last season with Missouri State taking the league's automatic bid. Illinois State, the regular-season champion received an at-large bid along with Southern Illinois.
Left out of the mix were perennial MVC powerhouses Creighton and Wichita State, a pair of teams that along with Indiana State, Blaylock expects to be up near the top.
"Creighton is going to surprise people. They barely made it into the tournament last year, but they've got some key transfers that came in with D-I experience that are really going to shore them up. Illinois State, to me, is the favorite because of two four-year returning starters for the pitching staff along with Amber Smith who hit 16 home runs. I think Wichita State is going to be tough again," said Blaylock.
"Indiana State is a sleeper because Darcy Wood can throw the ball. I think there is so much parity in our conference that I think it is going to be a dog fight, just like it seems to be every year. You just hope that the breaks go your way. Our goal is to win it and we are going to do everything we can to win the whole thing but it's going to be tough."
The biggest change this year in the Valley will be the format of the State Farm/MVC Tournament, which is scheduled for May 10-12, 2007 in Normal, Ill.
In the past, the MVC Tournament has included the top six teams playing in a double-elimination format. This season, however, the Valley will change over to an eight-team, single-elimination format.
"I think it will be different now that it is an eight-team, single elimination format. It went from a six-team double to an eight-team single. With that, I think it is anybody's ballgame," said Blaylock.
