By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Head Coach Paige Hall and the Willamette University softball team are looking forward to the 2002 season, as the Bearcats return several top hitters, bring in a large pitching staff, and have a group of very talented newcomers. It's a mixture that both coaches and players believe will lead to a competitive season for Willamette.
Last year, injuries to the pitching staff created difficulties for the Bearcats. Willamette finished the season with a 4-30 record, including 3-25 in the Northwest Conference. Even so, the bearcats featured four hitters at .286 or above, with three hitters owning average over .305. All four of those hitters are back this season.
Mia Lund (So., CF, Omaha, NE/Westside HS) ranked first on the team with a .342 batting average. She was 20 for 21 on stolen bases on her way to scoring a team-high 21 runs. She hit seven doubles and one homer, while driving in 11 runs. Brianna Majors (Jr., SS/2B, San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS) hit .321, while pounding out team-highs with 11 doubles and two triples. She hit one home run, scored 15 times, and recorded a team-leading 19 RBIs.
Shaye Mott (Jr., P, Livermore, CA/Granada HS) registered a .309 batting average, as she earned eight doubles and one triple. She scored 11 runs and earned 12 RBIs. She led WU with 15 walks. Kendra Knapp (Jr., OF, Portland, OR/Sunset HS) hit .286 for the Bearcats, while hitting two doubles and scoring seven runs.
Lund, Majors, and Mott each started all 34 games in 2021. Knapp played in every game and made 31 starts.
Mott also pitched for the Bearcat last year and threw 110 1/3 innings in 25 appearances and 17 starts. She had 13 complete games and registered 47 strikeouts. Also returning in the circle is utility player Bailey Hillmick (Sr., DP/UT, Athena, OR/Weston-McEwen HS), who pitched 49 1/3 innings over 11 games with 10 starts.
New pitchers for the Bearcats are Jordyn Johnson (So., P, Winslow, AZ/Winslow HS), who missed last season due to an injury, plus transfers Samantha Loomis (Grad., P, Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo HS/Marymount Univ.) and Carrie Dose (So., P/1B/3B, Eugene, OR/Churchill HS/Buena Vista Univ.), and first-year players Kenna Davis (Fy., 3B/SS/P, Alameda, CA/Alameda HS) and Faith Collar (Fy., P/UT, Portland, OR/Roosevelt HS). The overall group brings significant depth to the circle.
Other top returning fielders for the Bearcats are Kelsey Wong (Sr., UT, Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), Gianna Marchese (Sr., 3B/1B, Seattle, WA/Bishop Blanchet HS/St. Martin's Univ.), Sophia Lucio (So., OF, Martinez, CA/College Park HS), Jewel Fleckenstein (Sr., UT, Wasilla, AK/Mat-Su Middle College School), and Marykate DeLuca (Jr., C, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies). Also returning with significant experience on defense are Hillmick, Cassie Cosler (Sr., 1B, Albany, OR/West Albany HS), Adele Benny (Jr., OF, Bee Cave, TX/Lake Travis HS), and Hannah Porter (Jr., UT, Chehalis, WA/Centralia HS).
Overall, the Bearcats have more depth on the infield, which allows Hall to have more flexibility when building the lineup. Hall has been impressed with first-year field players Davis on the infield and Alexandra Richards (Fy., Bellevue, WA/Newport HS) in the outfield.
Willamette also has more power in the lineup with the addition of Johnson, Collar, and Dose. The new trio of players will add to the power provided by Lund, Majors, and Mott, who combined for 25 doubles, three triples, and two homers last season.
"There is a new team culture that has given us a stronger mindset going into this season," Hall said. "The returners are hungry and eager to get underway with a new fresh start. The team is competing and making it a tough decision for starting spots."
