Salukis begin preparations for 2011 season

01/31/2011 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Jan. 31, 2011

By Megan Kramper
SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The defending Missouri Valley Conference champion SIU softball team is gearing up for a tough season in preparation for the start of the 2011 season in less than two weeks.

The Salukis have held practices at Charlotte West Stadium four times since the official start of the season on Jan. 15 and the remainder at SportsBlast, while individual workouts started at the beginning of the semester.

Head coach Kerri Blaylock, who begins her 12th season at the helm, said it's a great bonus for the team to get back on to the field to help them prepare for the 2011 season.

"Practice has been going very well," Blaylock said. "We have been working extremely hard and have had the advantage of being outside quite a bit this preseason."

Southern Illinois returns seven starters from a season ago where it finished 38-20 overall and 20-5 in MVC play and earned their 14th consecutive season with 30 wins or more.

Top returners include Pre-Season All-Conference honorees shortstop Haley Gorman (Arcadia, Calif.), left fielder Mallory Duran (Windsor, Colo.), and MVC Pitcher of the Year Danielle Glosson (Winston-Salem, N.C.).

Catcher Cristina Trapani (Herrin, Ill.), a 2010 second team all-MVC, first team scholar athlete, and all-tournament team selection, will begin her final season behind the plate for the Salukis with Sydney Shelton (Glen Carbon, Ill.) also earning time.

Natalee Weissinger (Madison, Tenn.) will return at third base for the Salukis, who appeared in 57 games last season with a .236 batting average with four homeruns and 20 RBI and Alicia Junker (Saugus, Calif.) will see playing time at first base.

In the circle, the Salukis return all three pitchers including Glosson, Alex Peters (Adair, Okla.) and Brittney Lang (Leavenworth, Kan.).

Chelsea Held (Anderson, Ind.) returns at center field to lead a core group of outfielders including Duran, who earned second team all-MVC and first team scholar athlete honors in 2010, Morgan Barchan (Arcadia, Calif.), and Michelle Bradley (Land O' Lakes, Fla.).

The Salukis roster also boast four newcomers in infielder Kelsea Ashton (Carterville, Ill.), infielder Taylor Orsburn (Alto Pass, Ill.), infielder Jayna Spivey (Rosiclare, Ill.), and catcher Allie VadeBoncouer (Kankakee, Ill.).

The 2011 season will get begin on Feb. 11 when the Salukis travel to the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational hosted by the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.

"We realize that we have about seven practices left before our first game and we are excited for the opportunity to start playing," Blaylock said.

SIU will spend three of the four weekends in February on the road including trips to Houston, Texas (Feb. 11-13), Starkville, Miss. for the Bulldog Round-Robin (Feb. 18-20), and Ft. Myers Fla. for Moe's Blue and Green Invite hosted by Florida Gulf Coast (Feb. 25-27).

The home season will begin on Mar. 5-6 when the Salukis host the Coach B Classic at Charlotte West Stadium.