MONROE, La. – It's been a full week in the maroon and gold for ULM's new head softball coach
Molly Fichtner. Fichtner and her 2019 squad are already hard at work on the diamond, as the Warhawks look ahead to the upcoming season.
Looking at her roster, Fichtner is optimistic about the skill set and potential success the Warhawks can have this upcoming season. This year's team brings back 15 returners and adds seven incoming freshman and one junior transfer in Nykiah Hines.
"We are welcoming four incoming pitchers to join our staff with junior
Jessie Watts and redshirt-sophomore
Tori Fugatt: Blaire Wilson, Murphy Williams, Karly Taranto, and Adrianna Chavarria," said Fichtner. "It's a position we've struggled with in the past and are looking forward to the depth these newcomers will bring to the team."
Watts is back in the circle after posting a 5-8 record in 2018 with a team-best, two saves. Watts pitched three complete games over the course of her sophomore season.
Wilson, coming to Louisiana out of Oklahoma, totaled 709 strikeouts as a pitcher for Savanna High School recording a .718 ERA.
Behind the plate, ULM fans can expect to see more of returning senior
Brie Wrobel who started in 34 of 41 games last season and batted a fifth-best .289. Joining Wrobel is sophomore
Kori Jewell and freshman Jessica Williams.
The DeQueen, Arkansas native, Williams, finished her high school career with a 108-23 record and batted a career-best .469 as a senior, with an impressive .557 on base percentage. She earned Rookie of the Year as a freshman, and All-Conference recognition all four years at De Queen High School.
Fichtner is confident in her returning infielders, who provided a significant defensive advantage for the Warhawks last season. She emphasized the amount of diversity this year's squad provides to the roster, the amount of energy they bring to the field.
"Our infield will be led by seniors
Bailey Thibodeaux,
Megan Shaw,
Jaclyn Kresta, and stand-out junior
Jayden Mount," said Fichtner. "We are also looking forward to big impacts from junior
Ana Hogan, sophomores
Ava Heidorn,
Madison Morrison, and
Rylee Lara."
Incoming freshman Kennedy Page will also find her spot among the Warhawk infielders. A graduate of St Amant High School, the 5'7" Prairieville native earned multiple accolades for her time with the Gators, including an All-District Team selection and First-Team All-Metro and All-State honors.
Rounding out Fichtners roster is the Warhawk outfield. "We are also pleased to bring back stand-out senior
Sydney McKay, hometown hero
Victoria Pederson, and Arkansas-native
Charlie Names to our outfield. We will look to see immediate impacts from junior transfer Hines and freshman Korie Kreps as well."
The nation already knows about the threat that is senior
Sydney McKay, who has taken ULM and the Sun Belt conference by storm. McKay heads into her senior season after leading the league in total hits in back-to-back seasons as a junior and sophomore. McKay helped guide the Warhawks to top-50 rankings in Division I in both batting average and scoring.
Hines is familiar with the same winning culture Fichtner is building here at ULM, coming from Butler Community College as one of the elite from the 2017 NJCAA National Championship team. Hines and the Grizzlies finished with a 58-3 record in 2018, including a 28-0 mark in the Jayhawk Conference.
Hines and Kreps will have some big shoes to fill, left by former Warhawks
Rochelle Roberts and
Hunter Hogan, both of which greatly contributed to ULM's success in the outfield and at the plate last season. Roberts was one of the most decorate athletes to pass through ULM, while Hogan maintained one of the cleanest fielding sheets in Warhawk history, rounding out her career with only two errors and 216 put outs (.991).
Kreps is an in-state athlete, from Anacoco, Louisiana. Kreps earned First-Team All-State honors all four years, while guiding her team to four-straight District Championship appearances. Her success on the field also garnered her District MVP as both a sophomore and senior.
Fans are encouraged to follow ULM softball online at ULMWarhawks.com, as well as on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at ULM Softball.
