By: Mary Ringwald and Olivia Russell, Staff Writers
Spring sports are upon us at Bellarmine. Some teams’ seasons have already started, while others will begin shortly. Disclaimer: Olivia Russell is a member of the Bellarmine softball team. She did not contribute to the section on softball.
Softball
Redemption is the main goal for the Bellarmine softball team this season. The Knights lost two close games early in the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament in a 3-1 defeat to Truman University then a devastating 3-2 loss to Rockhurst University.
Senior pitcher Ally Foster, a First Team All-American in 2014, has a bright outlook on the upcoming season.
“I think that learning is going to happen all season, which will result in us getting better and better and that very well might propel us further into tournament play than this program has [ever] seen,” Foster said.
After graduating four senior starters, head coach Renee Hicks said there are many gaps to fill on the team. Foster and sophomore pitcher Marlee Tevis will lead the team as its two main pitchers, but the Knights still need a catcher.
“We’ve got three freshman catchers because we (graduated) Scarlet Powers last year so they are learning from scratch,” Hicks said. “They’ve been phenomenal so far.”
Bellarmine currently sits at 2-2, after splitting double headers against both Trevecca Nazarene University and Lee University.
Baseball
The 2016 Bellarmine baseball team is searching for its second Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament title, just three years after its first in 2013.
Despite ending the 2015 season with a 28-24 record, the Knights believe they have learned and grown enough to improve substantially.
“We have grown by simply understanding what to expect from one another and in doing so have created good team chemistry, which is vital,” BU head coach Larry Owens said.
Junior pitcher Will Birch said the Knights have a group full of players at every position who can help the Knights win now.
“Our pitching staff is ready,” Birch said. “We also have great hitters who will earn runs and make us more comfortable on defense. Wins require full team effort and everyone this year is going to give 100 percent.”
Effort from everyone on the team is something that Owens said is important.
“We expect help from every member of our team in a variety of ways,” he said. “Every member of our team will have an effect on the outcome of this season.”
The conference coaches predicted the Knights to finish third in the GLVC East division.
The 2016 season begins Feb. 24 at Lincoln Memorial and the Knights’ home opener is two days later against Alderson Broaddus University at Knights Field.
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
The 2015 women’s track and field team garnered more All-GLVC and All-American honors than any other women’s team in 2015. The Knights ended their season as distance runner Emily Frith and 4×100 meter team Meghan Jones, Meghan Roby, Olivia Wrocklage, and Cidnei Johnson brought home All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last spring.
“We are looking to build on the successes we had in the previous years,” said women’s track and field coach Aaron McAndrew. “Hopefully, it will translate into another successful season this year.”
Outdoor All-American sprinters, Roby and Johnson, along with All-GLVC sprinters Amanda Schnabel and senior Tori Goodwin return to lead the team to another round of strong showings in outdoor meets this season.
The freshman class has great potential in freshman jumper Yashira Rhymer-Stuart who recently received an NCAA provisional for her performance in high jump at the Kentucky Indoor Invitational last month. She ranks 13th in the nation for high jump.
McAndrew said he expects returning sophomore pole vaulter Bridgette Mangold and senior shot put and discus thrower Courtney McIntyre to have outstanding performances as well.
“We are hoping for the [women’s] team to win conference,” Mangold said. “Indoor is preparing us for the outdoor season.”
The Knights patiently await their first outdoor meet, which is two months away.
Men’s Track and Field
The 2016 Bellarmine men’s track and field has plenty of new talent, and the Knights are excited to mix it with the pieces it returns for 2016.
Director of Bellarmine track and field Jim Vargo said that while the size of the squad has largely stayed the same, his athletes are still relatively young as a group.
“Our squad size remains about the same. We are a young team, but we’re still looking to improve upon last season,” Vargo said.
Freshmen CJ Canada and Aaron Gilcrease are expected to be the team’s top sprinters, as both had very successful high school careers. Thomas Cave, Nathan Wilky, Chris Striegel and Cody Parks will be the keys to the team’s success in middle and long-distance races. Brian Ullrich and Davis Hallberg return to dominate the pole vault, and Coach Vargo said both could compete for NCAA berths.
Parks said this team has strong leadership despite its youth.
“All of our upperclassmen are pretty experienced, and we’ve been helping them get used to what college competition actually is,” he said. “Adding all that talent will give us many more points across the board.”
This season’s track and field team expects to once again compete at the conference and national levels.
Women’s Tennis
The Bellarmine women’s tennis team hopes to build on its record-breaking success from last season. After coming off a 14-3 campaign, the Great Lakes Valley Conference poll has the team picked to finish third in the GLVC East Division.
“Almost everyone is giving it their all in the conditioning sessions and at practices,” head coach John Mican said. “We look to build on last season‘s success but with a much tougher schedule. The plan is to be ready for the competition that the top teams in the GLVC will provide.”
The Knights return senior captain Caitlin Hanley, who will attempt to become the third woman in Bellarmine tennis history to win over 100 matches in her collegiate career. Her record sits at 78 at the start of the spring season.
Freshman Maggie Walroth looks to continue her stellar performances from the fall season. She leads the team with 12 wins and ranks No. 19 in the Midwest Region, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Hanley and Walroth will compete at the top doubles position and will both see time in the No. 1 singles position for the Knights this spring.
Sophomores Mairin Cotter and Marissa Kovach return after an outstanding freshman doubles campaign. They won 11 matches in a row last season, with a combined record of 63-20 after the fall season.
“I expect a very successful season as our team is just as deep in our line-up as it was last year,” Hanley said.
The Knights hosted the University of the Cumberlands on Feb. 6 at the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex.
Men’s Tennis
The 2016 Bellarmine men’s tennis team has plenty of players who the Knights hope can help the team accomplish more than ever before.
After finishing the 2015 season with an 11-4 record, the Knights may have the talent to improve on that record.
Despite losing four seniors, the team has reloaded with four powerful freshmen. Lauren de Boeck joined the team in January and is expected give the team a huge lift in both singles and doubles. He joins Vladimir Danicic, a freshman from Serbia, who is also expected to contribute during his rookie campaign.
Top returning players are juniors Jose Legarreta and Zachary Quo, who will be the No. 1 doubles team this year.
“These two guys match up to any doubles team in our region and both are always solid in singles,” coach Mican said.
Quo said the team’s biggest improvement is being mentally prepared for matches.
“It’s more than just hitting balls at practice. It’s whether or not you show up, it’s if you’re mentally ready to play your best that day,” he said.
The Knights look to compete in the conference tournament this season, which they narrowly missed in 2015 after going 11-4 overall and 2-4 in the GLVC.
Men’s Golf
The 2016 men’s golf team expects to continue its fall season success. The Knights finished third at the Trevecca Invitational in October.
“As always our primary goals for spring season are to be as competitive as possible in the GLVC Championship and earn a team spot in NCAA postseason play,” head coach Ernie Denham said.
Denham expects sophomore DJ Vogt to have another successful season after earning All-Midwest Region and All-GLVC accolades. He also expects seniors Mack Van Lenten and Joe Tharp to be strong leaders on the team. Both golfers have improved each year, and that growth will give the Knights even lower numbers.
Junior Lucas Jones said he believes this team has not only talent but the chemistry to add to their performances.
“Golf is usually an individual sport and there are times when individuals go further than the team, but we would rather be at the next level with the team,” Jones said. “We have a great time together and building that kind of positive environment helps on the course.”
The Knights begin their spring season on March 19 at the Saginaw Valley State University Spring Invitational in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Lacrosse
The 2016 Bellarmine lacrosse team has reloaded and is ready to start another season.
Senior captain Bobby Schmitt returns for his senior season, despite being selected with the 33rd overall selection in the 2016 Major League Lacrosse Draft. Schmitt suffered a torn ACL last year, which kept him out for the Knights’ entire 2015 campaign. His presence is expected to make a large impact this spring.
“Bobby being our lone captain this year is going to give him a big role which I think is going to help us beat some teams that we lost to last year,” junior Jack Perkins said. “He sets a positive example so having him back will make a big difference.”
Along with Schmitt, other impact players this year will be senior longstick midfielder Taylor Stuart and junior midfielder Tucker Ciessau, who all earned preseason Southern Conference team honors.
The Knights were predicted to finish fifth in the Southern Conference Coaches Poll. However, coach Kevin Burns said he doesn’t put much stock into preseason rankings.
“We tell the guys all the time that preseason polls and rankings aren’t important,” Burns said. “We’ll use this as motivation, but we’re not going to hang it in the locker room or anything like that.”
Bellarmine expects to improve on its 4-8 record from last season and hopes to compete in the conference tournament in 2016.
The Knights open the regular season at home against Robert Morris University on Feb. 13 at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.