GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference conducted interviews with Ursuline head coach Sue Woodford and sophomore infielder Leah Leshnack as part of this year’s softball season preview.
 
In 2015, the Arrows faced mounting adversity in the form of season-ending injuries and bouts of illness as they finished 10-23 overall and went 2-18 in the G-MAC. Ursuline was picked eighth in the 2016 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
With the healthy return of impact players like Brittany Humbel and Leshnack, who only played about half of the team’s games, Woodford and her squad plans to come into the spring ready with something to prove. Opening Day is quickly approaching on Friday, Feb. 5, when Ursuline will face Sunshine State Conference members Tampa and Eckerd in Clearwater, Fla.
 
Hitting: Kaitlin Krajcik is one of several juniors on the roster that can flat out hit the ball…Krajcik, the starting catcher, had a .370 average and 15 RBI…Humbel, another junior, was one of the hottest hitters in the conference before injuries curtailed the remainder of a promising sophomore campaign…She finished a shortened spring with a .400 average and 16 RBI...Leshnack suffered a broken ankle after hitting .306 in 24 games…Even though the Arrows hit one home run as a team last year (Brigitte Snow), Woodford is very hopeful about the potential power the team will flash this season…She expects a handful of newcomers to be instant contributors on offense.
 
Pitching: With the injury to Humbel, Gina Rosshirt emerged as the team’s workhorse, logging 130.2 innings as a freshman with 89 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.23…Humbel still earned honorable mention all-conference status with six wins in seven starts…Senior Rachel Jalowiec and freshman Sadie Jones will also figure into the pitching mix.
 
Coaching: Woodford begins her ninth season as the Arrows head coach…She holds the title of winningest coach in program history as she begins the new season.