With a handful of
key returnees and a crop of talented freshmen, the Penn State Altoona softball
team should loom large in the ten-team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
this season. Fifth year head coach Brenda Palmer says her team is practicing
well and states her expectations for 2007 without hesitation: an AMCC
championship.
"I am really
anxious to see how this season unfolds," said Palmer, who took over the Lion
program in 2002. "Not only do we have most of our core players back from last
year, but we've added solid freshmen who can immediately contribute. I'm
interested in a championship because it's not out of our reach."
After falling to
Pitt-Bradford in the conference championship game in 2003, the squad has
struggled, finishing 18-19 overall in 2004, 11-21 in 2005, and 7-17 last year.
Leading the resurrection efforts will be upperclassmen Amanda Shomo, Jess Ross,
and Janice Ashenfelder. Shomo, a senior second baseman from Glendale, should be
once again among the conference leaders in a variety of offensive and defensive
categories. Ross is a junior first baseman who slugs for power and hit over
.300 last season. Ashenfelder will take over as the ace of the Lion pitching
staff and spend time playing third base when not on the mound. She tossed 69
innings in 2006.
Sophomore
shortstop Katie Kauffman had a breakout freshmen year, starting every game and
batting nearly .300. The middle infield featuring Kauffman and Shomo should be
one of the top in the conference both at the plate and in the field. Shomo is
the lone senior on this year's squad and has been a three-year starter for Coach
Palmer.
"I've watched
Amanda grow so much over the last three years," said Palmer, who will be
assisted by former Lock Haven softball standout Shelbi Long. "She is the extent
of our senior leadership, and I think her impact on the team will be enormous.
Amanda is a competitor, and she wants to go out a winner."
The squad lost
eight players from last year's bunch but added eight energetic freshmen into the
2007 mix, some of whom will have an immediate impact. A pair of Penns Valley
High School graduates, pitcher Emily Cummins and catcher Kara Myers, headline
the newcomers. Cummins will be Lions number two pitcher behind Ashenfelder
while Myers will provide a big stick and much-needed consistency behind the
plate.
After a one year
hiatus last spring, the softball team will return to Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina, March 12-16 for a series of games against teams from across the
nation. The squad had fall scrimmages with Mount Aloysius and Juniata but the
spring break period will serve as the 2007 season openers. The squad has yet to
practice outside which can present some different challenges, especially in
Myrtle Beach.
"There is only so
much you can do inside a gymnasium," noted Palmer. "We do situational drills
and sound up fundamentals, but you can only do so much of that. The other issue
is that we normally don't face a live pitcher until we head south."
Despite the 5-13
AMCC record last season, the Lions finished seventh overall and missed the
conference tournament by two games. Altoona was picked to finish seventh in the
AMCC preseason poll that came out Thursday with traditional powers Penn State
Behrend and Pitt-Bradford slated to finish one-two.
"I tell our team
to play as hard as they can every game, and we'll see how far that will take
us," said Palmer. "I think with this year's group and the talent we have,
there's no reason why we can't beat anyone in the conference."
