The Oberlin College softball team ended the 2012 season with a 14–26 record, the most recorded wins in a season to date. While Head Coach Mimi Mahon was excited about the historic season, she knows there is still a lot of work to be done.

“We lost our catcher, Kristen Dix, to graduation last spring and are looking to sophomore Megan Bautista to fill her shoes,” said Mahon. “Being catcher is like being the quarterback. The catcher is the leader of the team, and if she doesn’t know what is going on, the rest of the girls won’t know either. It will take a lot of hard work, but we are stronger than last year, and I am confident we will succeed.”

With Cheryl Lindsly as the lone senior, Mahon is looking to her underclassmen to have a big impact this season. “Lindsly has already done a great job of being a leader; she is like the team mom. She is going to surprise a lot of people this season,” Mahon said. “Offensively, junior Emily King and sophomore Katie Pieplow are coming off huge years, so I think they will definitely build upon their successes from last year.” Pieplow had the highest batting average last season as a first- year, and both Pieplow and King had big seasons on the mound for the Yeowomen.

This season, the Yeowomen have an exciting addition to the coaching staff. While new Assistant Coach Jessica O’Connor will help Mahon call the plays and strategize, her main focus is the pitching staff. While in the past the Yeowomen have only had one or two pitchers, this year’s full pitching staff will allow for more flexibility and strategizing come game day. The Yeowomen have always struggled with numbers, and for Mahon, the additions to the pitching staff are comforting.

Lindsly is also excited about the addition to the pitching staff and the team’s practices thus far. “Pre-season has been great! We came back a bit earlier than usual, which will hopefully give us a better start this season. We also came in more fit and focused than last season,” she said. “Our goal is to make it to the conference tournament, and with this team, I definitely see us getting there. We have the talent, we have the drive, and we are small but mighty.”

Mahon agrees. “I am so excited about where we are starting compared to last year. We are starting ahead of the game with the fundamentals and are in much better shape. We lost some good seniors, so we have new people to fill those positions, but fundamentally, we look good.”

Mahon is most excited for the team’s game against Kenyon, although it isn’t for a while. “Kenyon finished last in the conference last season, and we lost to them when we should have won. We played them right after spring break, and I believe we just were not fully prepared. I changed our scheduling this year to get more rest before we play them again. It is definitely a revenge game for us.” The Yeowomen still have a full month before games begin to focus and prepare for another historic season. Their first game is March 4 against the College of Mount St. Joseph, and the first home game is March 19 against Adrian College.