Womens´ Softball Rotataes Players
STEPHANIE WRIGHT
Sports Editor
The LC Womens’ Softball team will be playing a little bit
of a different game this season due to have new players. “We won’t have as
powerful hitting, but we have more speed now,” said Coach Rhonda Roberts.
The team lost four sophomores from last year: Lindsey Bonnell, Kelly
Breitwiser, Shauna Holcmann, and Becky Schrieber. “I hope we have leadership
like last year,” said Katie McBride. “I hope we show them leadership so they
will have it for their freshmen next year.”
Last year’s season ended with a loss to Parkland for the first time after
beating them three times during the season. The team has seven returning
sophomores this season: Tiffany Bennett, Kaci Graham, Erin McAfee, Katie
McBride, Jennifer Mettler, Katie Roth and Sarah Ulrich.
“I expect a lot of leadership from the sophomores,” said Roberts. “I expect
them also to be very vocal.” The LC team is also joined this season by eight
freshmen: Dianna Dix, Katy Duensing, Carol Lyons, Katie Nolan, Kara Royal,
Julie Thyer, Justine Tucker and Lauren Wieseman.
This season the team will have two main pitchers, Tiffany Bennett and Carol
Lyons. “They are filling some big shoes from last season of Lindsey Bonnell,”
said Roberts. Bennett pitched with Bonnell last season and ended the season
with a record of 19-3.
Also, Wieseman will be catching quite a bit for the LC team. “She plays
really good defense,” said Roberts. “She has a really good idea of what I
want.”
“Also, this season we are going to move up the batting order,” said Roberts.
“We also will do a lot more bunting.”
“I think that we have a well-rounded team,” said Mettler. “We have a lot of
potential, and we have the potential to play well this season.”
Both McBride and Mettler agreed that they are going to shoot for a season
and record last year. “We need to take each game the same, and treat every
team the same way,” said McBride. “I’d really like to see Iowa this season.”
|
Women Trailblazers
Head into Playoffs
One Game Away
From Win No. 20
PRESS RELEASE
Press Release
The LC Women’s Basketball Team demonstrated the importance of strong
sophomore leadership this year, heading into the playoffs with one of the
best records in the team’s history.
Coach Peg Mitchell said she enjoyed watching the sophomores step up this
season and take on more responsibility and provide strong leadership for an
outstanding group of freshman players. “The freshmen have realized that the
sophomores are role models and have helped them become better players,”
Mitchell said. “The sophomores have improved and, as a result, the community
has taken a more active interest and pride in this team.”
The Trailblazers (19-8) are embarking on a 20-win-season, a victory total
not accomplished at the College since the 1989-90 season. Mitchell said even
though the season is coming to a close she is still focusing on making
improvements to her team and her players. She said the squad will continue
to polish its existing offensive and defensive strategies while individually
preparing for games depending on who the next opponent is.
“Our mindset doesn’t change from what it has been all year. We know we have
to take care of business,” Mitchell said. “If we play our game we can beat
any team, any night. Practice and preparation before games will win ball
games.”
The Trailblazer’s outstanding season record and demonstration of skills on
the court have won them a fifth seed in the 11-team regional tournament. LC
will open on the road against the number four seed, Lake Land College at 6
pm on March 5. LC will face a tough opponent in Lake Land, a team that has
beaten the Trailblazers twice during the regular season.
Even though LC is 11-3 at home this season, Coach Mitchell plans to use the
seeding as a positive. “I’ve told the players that anytime we play on the
road, initially we’re down by eight points. But there’s also pressure on the
home team because they must defend their home court,” Mitchell said.
If LC wins its first round game the team will play at 2 pm on March 8 at
Lincoln Land Community College.
Leading the team this year is sophomore Andrea Swiler of Alexis, Ill., who
is averaging 15.8 points per game, a 44.8 field goal percentage, a 38 three-point
shooting percentage, a 69.4 free-throw percentage and 78 assists. Freshmen
contributing to the squad’s success include Becky Haynes (Medora), Nicole
Miller (Louisville, Ky.), Devon Hudnut (Mascoutah), Renisha Martin (Detroit,
Mich.) and Courtney Fields (Paris, Ky.).
|
LC Men’s Basketball Seeded Third In Regional Playoffs
Press Release
The LC Men’s Basketball Team is heading into the Region 24
play-offs with a 19-10 record and a third seed. The men, who have received
an automatic first-round bye, will face off against the winner of Lakeland
vs. Shawnee at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 7 at Southwestern Illinois College.
The Trailblazers have defeated both teams twice this year during regular
season play.
Coach Doug Stotler said his team’s balanced scoring and the players’
“do-or-die” mentality has helped propel the team to be successful this
season. The Trailblazers, who finished Illinois conference play at 12-4,
have seen major scoring contributions from a handful of players. Three
points separate five players among the scoring leaders this season. “Our
three leading scorers average between 10 and 12 points per game,” Stotler
said. “We’ve had different leading scorers at various times this season, and
I am pleased that players have had the confidence to step up and be the
leader. It has truly been a team effort.”
The Trailblazers’ International trio lead the team in scoring with Richard
Wellings of England averaging 12.2 points per game, Robert Aitken of
Australia averaging 10.8 points per game and Moritz Wohlers of Germany
averaging 10.7 points per game. However, guards Aaron Edwards (Triad High
School) and Corey Sims (Alabama) are trailing close behind with 9.6 and 9.2
points per game respectively.
At 6-foot-8, Wohlers, a freshman, proved to be a vital cog both offensively
and defensively for the Trailblazers this season; however, when Wohlers
began missing games due to illness, Coach Stotler said his absence caused a
lack of team identity. Other players had to step in and share some of that
vital scoring duty, Stotler said.
Stotler said Sims’ guard play has been as effective this season as anybody’s
in the league and Aitken hit a stretch where his scoring was unstoppable.
“Corey is powerful going to the basket and his game hasn’t been defined by
his position,” Stotler said. “He is doing more things than a typical
shooting guard does.”
The sophomores also stepped up their game this season to help alleviate the
scoring burden. Wellings and Edwards have been a large component in the
team’s success, Stotler said. “Our sophomore leadership has maximized
efforts considering how young our team really is. Without those two, we
could not have had the turnaround this season from when we were not playing
as well at the beginning of the year.”
Stotler said his team now realizes the mindset that they must have in the
playoffs, realizing that it is single elimination. “Toward the end of the
season the team has taken the attitude that we have to win in order to
prepare them for the regional tournament,” Stotler said. “If you lose you’re
done, and I really think these guys feel as though they have just gotten
started.”
|
