Filling out the lineup card will not be a matter of routine for Lawrence University softball coach Kim Tatro this spring.
With a deeper and more versatile team than she has had in several seasons, Tatro will have more options when she puts pen to paper in the dugout. The hope is that translates into more victories and a return to the Midwest Conference Tournament, a four-team gathering in which Lawrence was a regular participant for most of the last 15 years.
“I think that’s our focus every year,” Tatro said of playing in the MWC Tournament. “We’ve fallen short the last couple of years. Conference play and being one of the top two teams in the North Division is the goal.”
Lawrence finished 16-16 in 2010 and that included a 6-7 mark in conference play. While the Vikings lost four-time all-conference selection Alex Goodson to graduation, the Vikings return the other seven position starters, including three all-conference selections, from last season and their top two pitchers.
The Vikings also have five freshman, and the lone senior is 2009 MWC North Division Player of the Year is shortstop Carli Gurholt.
“We have youth but better depth than we’ve had the past couple of years,” said Tatro, a five-time MWC Coach of the Year. “We’re the type of team that has to stay healthy to be successful. I feel great about the flexibility of our depth. We’ve purposefully recruited the types of kids who can play multiple positions.”
That type of versatility starts with the pitching staff, which will likely be in the lineup whether they are on the mound or not.
Junior Emily Perish and sophomore Shannon Murray split time on the mound last season. Murray, a 2010 all-conference and all-region selection, went 10-6 with a 3.69 earned run average and threw only the second no-hitter in school history. She also played in the infield and outfield and hit .347 with 16 runs batted in. Perish was 6-10 with a 3.55 ERA and played on the infield. She hit .295 and was second on the team with 19 RBI.
“As a junior, Emily has a great understanding of what to expect from the college game,” Tatro said. “Shannon’s only a sophomore, but as a freshman she was out there a ton. With the addition of Cory Paquette, it really gives us a solid three-pitcher rotation and some options.”
Paquette, a former standout at Manitowoc Roncalli, will likely see time at second base with Perish. Murray is likely to play first when she’s not pitching.
Gurholt, who missed the final three weeks of the 2010 season with an injury, returns to play shortstop. She hit .340 with four homers and 18 RBI in only 19 games last season. Tatro said Gurholt has looked good in her return from injury.
Sophomore Courtney Steile and freshman Alissa Geipel will battle for the starting job at third base, and sophomore Gaelen Lombard-Knapp is back behind the plate.
The Vikings return all-conference outfielders Cathy Kaye in left and Katie Simonsen in center, although the latter has yet to join the team after studying in London during the winter term.
Kaye hit .398 with six homers and 17 RBI last season, and Simonsen hit .358 and drove in 13 runs in 2010. Tatro said any number of players could see action in right field.
“I think we’re more balanced and we don’t have to rely on the middle of our lineup to get things done,” Tatro said. “On any given day, one through nine can get it done at a clutch moment. I think that takes the pressure off everyone, but to get it done everyone has to step up.”
Tatro said she plans to use the team’s 10-game spring break trip (March 15-20) to Clermont, Fla., to evaluate how the squad will fit together.
“Everyone on our roster is going play in Florida,” Tatro said. “They are all going to be given opportunities to compete for spots.”
Tepper goes national
Lawrence track and field standout Rose Tepper qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships this weekend at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, in the high jump.
Tepper became a provisional qualifier when she jumped 5 feet, 5.75 inches, on Feb. 5 and broke the school record in the process. She didn’t have much of a chance to improve on that when she injured her knee and was forced to miss the MWC Championships.
It appeared as though Tepper was going to miss the meet when two jumpers went higher than she did at last-chance meets on March 5. Tepper entered last weekend tied for the 10th-best jump in the nation, and the Lawrence coaches anticipated the NCAA would take only 11 jumper. Tepper got her ticket punched to the national championships when the NCAA took 20 jumpers instead of the anticipated 11.
This is the first trip to the NCAA meet for Tepper, a sophomore from Mount Vernon, Iowa, and the 2010 MWC outdoor champ in the high jump.
Sheridan all-tournament
Senior defenseman Jon Sheridan was chosen for the all-tournament team at the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association’s Harris Cup this past weekend.
The Midland, Mich., native and team captain assisted on both goals in Lawrence’s loss to Adrian College in the semifinals. Sheridan finished the season with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points.
DMR record falls
The men’s distance medley relay team broke the school record at the UW-Stevens Point Pointer Qualifier this past Saturday.
The team of Dan Thoresen, Cam Blegen, Mike Mangian and Sam Stevens raced to a time of 10:33.27. That broke the mark of 10:39.83, which was set in 2010 by Stevens, Mark Sprtel, Matt Frelich and Sam Estrem.
Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.