Season Preview Part I: New Faces Mixed with Proven Returners Spark Hope for Inferno (3/17/08) -- In two days, the Alverno College Inferno softball team will travel to Fort Myers, FL for a 7-day, 10-game, jump start to their season. Here is what every Inferno fan needs to know heading into head coach Heather Burtman's 6th campaign: 2007 Recap: Last season the Inferno finished with a 9-25 record, 6-16 in the Northern Athletics Conference. Batting leaders included Bec Schmid (Tigerton, WI / Tigerton), Lea Colon (Antioch, IL / Kenosha Bradford), and Theresa Kruse. Schmid and Colon led the team in batting average last season hitting at.360 and .369 clips, respectively. The speedy Colon also stole 13 bases on 13 attempts. Kruse led last year's squad with 2 home runs, and was 2nd in RBI's with 17. 2007 Quick Facts: - The Inferno finished the season with a doubleheader sweep of NAC rival Dominican (10-5, 9-0) - Alverno was a perfect 27-27 on stolen base attempts. - Only 3 Inferno played in all 34 games last season (Kruse, Elizabeth Malko, Cindy Stegman). The 2008 Team: Only two seniors appear on the Alverno roster this season. Here is a look at how this year's team shapes up. Key Losses: Theresa Kruse, Amy Berndt, and Cindy Stegman, all wrapped up their Inferno careers in 2006. While the number is small, the impact could be great. The seniors accounted for 1/3 of the regular starting lineup (CF, 3B, and LF). As mentioned above, Kruse and Stegman were two of only three Inferno players to take part in every game. And Berndt played in 32 or 34 contests. Kruse will not be too far removed from the program however as she now slides up a couple of spots on the bench to become a student assistant coach. Key Returners: Schmid and Colon return to anchor what could be a potent Alverno offensive attack this season. Jessi Goetz (Milwaukee, WI / Martin Luther) returns as last year's offensive leader in triples, RBIs and walks. However her biggest impact could come on the mound. Due to a shoulder injury, Goetz only toed the rubber twice in 2007. With the shoulder now healthy and a full off-season of hard work under her belt, she will be given every opportunity to help the team improve upon a 7.40 Team ERA. New Faces/New Places: Two transfer students join the Inferno this season, look to have an immediate impact. Melissa Bankenbush (Franksville, WI / Union Grove) and Sarah Schwenn (Union Grove, WI / Union Grove) both played high school softball for state powerhouse, Union Grove. Bankenbush will start in centerfield and brings power and speed to the Alverno offense. Schwenn is a middle infielder that makes good contact at the plate and knows how to get on base. Freshman Brianne Porter (Oak Creek, WI / Oak Creek) will handle pitching duties along with Goetz. Fellow freshman Megan Burgess (Racine, WI / Park) will fill the all important utility role to start the season, seeing a good amount of time in both the infield and outfield. She too, will add to what is already a very speedy team on the basepaths. Tomorrow Part II: 2008 strengths, weaknesses, and outlook from Coach Burtman |
