GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference conducted interviews with Salem International head coach Steve Potts and senior catcher Katie Chryssofos as part of this year’s softball season preview.
In 2015, the Tigers made a run in the conference tournament that led them past the first day of the G-MAC Championship.
They ended their season with an overall record of 13-33 and a 6-15 record in the league. The return of many young players on the roster has this year’s team optimistic for continued improvement.
Opening Day for the Tigers will be played on Friday, Feb. 19, where they will escape some of the cold and head down to South Carolina to take on Lander University in a doubleheader.
SIU enters the 2016 season by being picked sixth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Hitting: Chryssofos and Alyssa Discepola return to the Tigers lineup after being two of the most consistent and dangerous hitters around the G-MAC last season…Chryssofos is the consummate power threat slotted in the cleanup spot and she comes into the season as a first-team all-conference honoree in 2015…After mashing 13 homers as a junior, Chryssofos is tied for third all-time in the G-MAC’s young history; she tied for the league lead in that category…Dicepola, a rangy outfielder who also plays on the SIU soccer team, hit .379 with 15 RBI in her debut season…She was fifth in the conference in batting average and her numbers should increase across the board with another year of seasoning at the college level…The Tigers have a wealth of starting talent returning, including Hannah Crew, Tori Butler, Cass Alexy and Kayla Lynch, who all played in 40 or more games last spring.
Pitching: Katie Holestin and Kayla Lynch combined to start 45 of the team’s 46 games last season and both are back in the mix to anchor SIU’s pitching staff…Holestin recorded nine winning decisions and went the distance for 19 complete games….Lynch pitched over 130 innings and finished with 67 strikeouts while also contributing with her bat offensively…Jordan Williams pitched the remaining 12.1 innings left unaccounted for and she also returns.
Coaching: Potts, a veteran leader of the program, is entering his seventh season as head coach…He has guided his team to the most wins during a three-year stretch in SIU history.