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After finishing strong in conference last year, taking first in the Southern MEAC Division and securing a number one seed in the conference tournament, the Lady Wildcats are back this season looking for more. Despite the solid finish (9-3 in MEAC play) to the regular season and the high seeding, Bethune-Cookman did not fare as expected in the MEAC tournament, eliminated with a record of 2-2, and resulting in a fourth place final MEAC ranking for 2008.
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"Our result in the conference tournament wasn't as we expected, so that was disappointing," said Head Coach Chris Cochran. "I know it was especially disappointing for the seniors on last year's team to have the season end that way."
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In 2009, it's a whole new team, as Bethune-Cookman returns only one upperclassman from last year's team, with the loss of five key seniors. However, the Lady Wildcats have seven players returning from last year's Southern Division Champions who earned playing time and experience in 2008. Six of those seven returners were freshman in 2008 and all are expected to contribute in big ways for Bethune-Cookman in 2009.
"One good thing from our standpoint is that the kids that were freshman last year got a lot of experience playing a lot of different types of competition," commented Coach Cochran. "I think that is only going to help them this year. To look at our entire body of work in 2008, I think that we improved a lot over the course of the season. We gained a lot of experience and had a chance to see things work on the field."
The Bethune-Cookman coaching staff sees the opportunity in needing to play so many inexperienced players in the previous season. Despite the large numbers of freshman, the team competed well and earned top honors in the MEAC, which can only pay dividends in 2009.
"They played well in our conference games for the most part, so they were excited to see that their work, dedication, and their efforts paid off in conference play," said Cochran.
As the 2009 season nears, the coaching staff can see the positives of last season's successes paying off.
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"Right now, I really like our attitude," said Cochran. "They're certainly looking forward to playing; we practiced all fall, played a limited schedule, and we've had solid practices here this spring. Right now, they need to play, so they are excited, ready to go, and work extremely hard."
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Although Cochran does not typically name Captains, there are leaders emerging from the returning roster. Allison ("Allie") Garcia will anchor the pitching staff and has shown herself to be a quiet leader, often leading by example. Liz Parrish will return behind the plate, and Ashton Hinds is expected to take charge in the outfield.
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| Swinging For The Fences |
Allie Garcia |
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The early season may be a time of transition as Bethune-Cookman loses three of the top five hitters to graduation, however, the Lady Wildcats do return their top offensive threat from 2008, ALL MEAC Second Team selection Allie Garcia, who led the team in four offensive categories and finished the season with a .367 average with 24 RBIs and 6 Home Runs. B-CU loses the hitting contributions of Brandi Holley (.325, 28, 9) and Holley Bussey (.299, 28, 6), however, Bussey returns to the team as an Assistant Coach to aid in the tutelage of the young Wildcats.
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 Taryn Hernandez
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Also returning for 2009 behind Garcia, is Pitcher and Utility Player Taryn Hernandez, the fourth best hitter in 2008 as a freshman, who finished the season averaging .278, with 6 RBIs.
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Another important piece of the Bethune-Cookman offensive puzzle is Ashton Hinds. The Cerritos, Calif. Outfielder led the team in games started in addition to four offensive categories, including runs scored (33), triples (3), walks (34), and stolen bases (12). Hinds finished the season batting .265 with 16 RBIs and 1 Home Run.
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 Ashton Hinds |
| Defense |
The Infield |
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Liz Parrish
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Defensively, Bethune-Cookman has a great deal of options due to the approach of the B-CU coaching staff. Although the roster is limited (12), all players demonstrate a great deal of versatility and are trained and capable at multiple positions.
"We train them to play 2-3 positions with only a few exceptions," noted Cochran. "We can move them around if we need to or the [game] situation dictates a change."
"Our infield lineup is entirely changed," added Cochran. "I don't necessarily have any returning infielders, except for Allie. They're all new, but they have good experience and are very skilled, so I feel comfortable calling on any of them."
Although there will be a great deal of familiar faces in the Lady Wildcat Infield lineup, they will be sporting a different look, with position changes and substitutions from the 2008 season. On one corner, third base will likely be a rotating position between Catcher/Utility players Liz Parrish and newcomer Sabrina Ferguson. Last season, Parrish led the Lady Wildcats in steals caught and also finished third in fielding percentage with a .959 average.
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Opposite Parrish or Ferguson will be Brittani Austin. The sophomore from Houston, Texas returns with a fielding percentage of .911, and leading the team in passed balls in 2008.
Second base is expected to be locked down by newcomer Simone Ceasar. The Clovis, Calif. Native plays with a great deal of confidence and is a solid fielder. Her speed will be an asset on both offense and defense for the 2009 season.
Rounding out the Bethune-Cookman infield at Shortstop will be newcomer Cesaly Tafoya. The Oxnard, Calif. Freshman is expected to make an excellent contribution due to her versatility and consistency in practices leading up to this season.
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| The Outfield |
Ashton Hinds |
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There is great potential in the infield due to the addition of versatile, skilled players and a solid dose of added speed, however, the outfield has a great deal of promise with the experience gained from last season. Right and Left Field are up for grabs, but Locking down the middle of the field at Center will be Ashton Hinds. Returning this season with a .952 fielding percentage, Hinds is expected to make a huge impact on both sides of the ball and be a leader in the outfield. Flanking her will be several experienced options as well as some skilled newcomers. Taryn Hernandez returns with outfielding experience from last season, as do Tameika Jonas, and Brittani Austin. Even Pitcher Allie Garcia is able to perform in the outfield. Right now the lineup in the back is not locked down. Joining the returning players in the position competition will be Junior College transfer Briana Leverett and 2009 newcomer Ashley Taylor.
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Pitching
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| Bethune-Cookman returns two of 2008s best pitching threats for the 2009 season. All-MEAC Second Team selection Allie Garcia returns as a starting Pitcher. Garcia led B-CU in nine major pitching categories last season. The All-Conference, Chino Hills, Calif. Native started 33 games for the Lady Wildcats and pitched 222 innings in 2008. She finished the year with a 3.97 ERA and struck out 118 batters on her way to 16 wins last season (team high .457 W/L %). |
 Allison Garcia
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 Chastity Sanders
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Also returning on the mound is Chastity Sanders. The right-hander from Cape Coral, Fla. was the team's leading reliever in 2008, finishing 9 games in relief. She finished the season with a 4.83 ERA and 26 strikeouts, with 4 wins for the 92 innings that she pitched. Also returning as a pitching option is Taryn Hernandez, who pitched 49 innings in eight games last season. |
| Newcomers |
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| Ferguson |
Tafoya |
Ceasar |
Leverett |
Taylor |
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Many of the team's newcomers have quickly found a place in the lineup and Coach Cochran feels she will get solid contributions from her youthful players.
"I feel that we have a little bit more speed than we've had in the past," said Cochran. "There's a little bit of the unknown just because we have some players that haven't played in a college game. They're excited and ready to go."
One of the notable newcomers is Sabrina Ferguson from Oxnard, Calif. Ferguson is expected to compete for Third Base and Catcher duties this season.
"What I saw when I was recruiting her is, number 1, that she is very good defensively, able to block any ball in the dirt," Cochran commented. "I thought she was also a great team player; when she wasn't in the game, she was always hustling and warming up pitchers. She has some power offensively, and I'm expecting that we can get some solid production from her this season. "
Freshman Cesaly Tafoya, also of Oxnard, Calif., is expected to take care of the middle with her role at Shortstop. On Tafoya, Cochran said, "She's extremely versatile, and actually a great second baseman who could also play in the outfield, but we'll use her at Shortstop. She was probably our most consistent player in the fall. She's a very experienced player."
Simone Ceasar, of Clovis, Calif., will take care of Second Base, but Cochran noted, "also a great outfielder, she is probably the most vocal of all the freshman on the field, and plays with a lot of confidence. She also adds speed to the lineup, as a left-handed hitter."
Transfer Briana Leverett will make her mark in the outfield, working with skills learned from excellent coaching while at Tallahassee Community College. "She has good speed and she'll try and do anything that we ask her to try," said Cochran of Leverett, "so you'd be hard pressed to find anybody more coachable that she is."
Rounding out this year's newcomers is Ashley Taylor. Taylor, a Leesburg, Fla. Senior has been on campus, but has not competed until this season. Cochran notes that Taylor is, "probably our fastest player, and she'll be in the outfield. We will be much more successful if she can get on base, [considering her speed]."
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| The Schedule |
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The non-conference schedule is expected to prove challenging for the Lady Wildcats. Bethune-Cookman will face off with some strong competition in 2009, including early games with Texas A&M (ranked 10th in preseason), Florida State, Rutgers, and Purdue before hitting the conference slate.
"Our first weekend coming up, Texas State and Kent State (Stetson Tournament) were both conference champions last season, and two years ago Stetson won their conference," noted Cochran. Although a challenge, the Lady Wildcats aren't going to shy away. The strong competition will only make the team better, and provide greater dividends in victory.
Our goal obviously is to win the conference tournament, as that's the only real guarantee to go on into Regionals," added Cochran. "We would like to play better in our non-conference games than what we have done in the recent past. We look to again be the number one seed in our division."
With the addition of speed and more skills this season, Bethune-Cookman has a great opportunity to perform above and beyond any expectations set for them.
"I don't put limits on my players," said Cochran, "I've seen that often you're as good as you want to be and as good as you want to work."
Up to this point, the coaching staff has seen no signs that the team is unwilling to want and work at a championship caliber, which is a great sign for the season.
The Lady Wildcats open their season with a trip to DeLand, Fla., for the Stetson Invitational on Friday, Feb. 6, with the B-CU opening game versus Kent State beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Conference play for Bethune-Cookman Softball begins Mar. 28 with a series versus Norfolk State in Daytona Beach and the season wraps up with a trip to the MEAC Conference Tournament, beginning May 7.
Ultimately, an important key for this season, according to Cochran is, "for us to stay focused and keep working." Keeping those variables controlled and consistent will push Bethune-Cookman closer to their own expectations in 2009.
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