The 2015 softball season is upon us as Alabama State will welcome in many changes with fresh faces to both the roster and coaching staff.
The re-energized Lady Hornets squad will feature nine new players for the 22 available roster spots and three new coaches to its staff.
Alabama State will have experience where it matters though. Of the 13 returning players, seven positional players appeared in at least 34 games last season. Additionally, all four players who pitched last season were retained.
Lady Hornets head softball coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson will make her debut at the helm after spending the previous six seasons in leading highly successful Auburn-Montgomery teams.
Steiner-Wilcoxson led the Warhawks to national prominence with three consecutive NAIA Tournament appearances and the school’s first national championship in 2014. Winning was something that she did a lot of as AUM won at least 30 games in each season, including at least 40 wins in her last three seasons.
ASU is coming off the heels of a season in which it went 17-25 overall, but held an 11-6 inside SWAC conference play to earn a No. 2 seed in the SWAC East Division behind top-seeded Jackson State (28-29 overall, 16-1 SWAC).
The Lady Hornets were defeated on day two of the SWAC Tournament after being nipped by the West Division No. 3 seed Prairie View A&M 3-2.
2015 Schedule
The Lady Hornets are scheduled to compete in five tournaments, one invitational and the SWAC Round-Up this season.
It will be tournament-heavy at the beginning with dates set at the Troy Tournament in Troy, Ala. from Feb. 6-8, the University of Louisiana-Monroe Tournament from Feb. 13-14, the Samford Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. from Feb. 20-22, the Stetson Tournament in Deland, Fla. from Feb. 27-March 1, the Tiny Laster Invitational in Birmingham from March 6-8, the SWAC Round-Up in Longview, Texas, from March 20-22 and the SWAC Tournament from May 6-9 in Decatur, Ala.
Position breakdown
Outfield: Jenna Mae Thorne, Valerie Centeno, Britney Wilson, Alexis Johnson, Rachel Mills, Raven Walker, Diauna Nelson, Tacresha Favors.
Thorne returns after a one-year absence from playing the game. The junior was a two-time First Team All-American at Sierra College and hit .444 with eight triples, six home runs and 45 RBI to garner Big 8 Conference Player of the Year honors in 2013. Thorne sports one of the best arms on the team, bats left and offers up plenty of speed in the field and on the base paths.
Centeno is a returning starter who played all three outfield positions, second base and pitched. The versatile sophomore batted .316, scored 30 runs and was a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts. Centeno covers a lot of ground in the field and sported a .953 fielding percentage.
Wilson split much of her time last season between center field and right field. The sophomore is aggressive and is said by coach Steiner-Wilcoxson to “play with no fear.” As a good hustle player, her work ethic is contagious to the rest of the team.
Johnson is one of five players who joined the Lady Hornets after helping Sierra College win the California Community College Athletic Association Championship in 2014. A.J. provided some pop at that level with seven home runs and drove in 37 runs. The junior also showed good plate discipline with a .405 on-base percentage.
Mills is a two-year letterman who can play multiple positions. In 2014, Mills was used mainly as a pitcher, but spent more time as an outfielder in 2013. She provides outfield depth and pitching insurance with three complete games and a combined shutout under her belt last season.
Walker made waves in her limited time at the plate by batting .524 (11-for-21) with nine runs scored, three RBI and a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts.
Nelson is a sophomore, who played in 34 games, and had a team-high seven sacrifice hits.
Favors has plus speed with six stolen bases in seven attempts and hit .462 (6-for-13) in limited action.
Third base: Kendall Core, Perry Hindi, Yvette Ducoing.
Core got off to a rousing start as a freshman by earning a SWAC All-Conference First Team nod after hitting
.354 (44-for-124) with 10 doubles, six home runs, 32 RBI and 18 runs scored. She started in all 42 games and enjoys being a leader on the team. Durability and focus have been two of her strong points.
Hindi is a newcomer from Cleveland State Community College (Tenn.) with local roots tied to being a Prattville native. The sophomore can slide around position-wise by being a solid utility option at either catcher, either of the infield positions or even the outfield. Hindi has some power with eight home runs and 49 RBI in 48 games played last season.
Ducoing is the lone senior on the squad, offering up the most experience in the current ASU program. Ducoing hit .271 (16-for-59) with three doubles, nine RBIs and 12 runs scored as a part-time player.
Shortstop: Laura Aguilar, Kaylee Davis, Perry Hindi
Aguilar started the most games at shortstop with 21 in 2014. Coach Steiner-Wilcoxson described her as “tough with a big heart” and a player who goes all out every time she’s on the field.
Davis is one of two freshmen on the team. The Woodland High School alum was a Second-Team All-Conference selection and team captain for the All-American Team Mizuno Gold squad of Sacramento, Calif.
Second base: Jazzmin Romero, Chelsea Rivera
Romero was the usual everyday starting second baseman with 31 starts at the position and played in every game. The sophomore recorded a .308 batting average (36-for-117) with 12 doubles and 23 runs scored. She was a slick fielder as well with a 953 fielding percentage.
Rivera has been competitive in practice and is a player who is not afraid of the big moments. The junior scored the winning run in the helping Sierra College defeat Mt. San Antonio College 6-5 to claim the CCAAC championship last spring.
First base: Carly Evans, Shelby Holley, Yvette Ducoing
Evans is another addition from the championship Sierra College squad. The junior was a Big 8 All-Conference First Team selection as a catcher, but can also man the corner infield positions. Evans hit .369 (48-for-130) with 35 RBI and 37 runs scored. She also had one of the team’s best fielding percentages (.989).
Holley is a transfer from Chattahoochee Valley Community College. The Lady Hornets’ power hitter smacked 21 home runs and drove in 47 runs in 2014. Deemed as one of the most prolific power hitters in state history, Holley set the AHSAA and national records for home runs in a career and a single season with 78 dingers in her Pisgah High School career.
Catcher: Aleesa Yanez, Perry Hindi, Shelby Holley
Yanez comes off a decorated season behind the plate after hitting .385 (50-for-130) with three home runs and 35 RBI to go along with five stolen bases. Yanez excelled in big moments as she batted .404 (23-for-57) with runners in scoring position. Difficult to run on, Yanez threw out 15 base runners attempting to steal and picked off another four runners. Coach Steiner-Wilcoxson said Yanez is one of the hardest workers and most self-motivated players that she has ever coached.
Pitchers: Melissa Christmann, Maddie Phelps, Shantelle Smith, Chelsea King, Rachel Mills, Valerie Centeno
Christmann, a junior, returns as an ace pitcher with the most innings logged (110.2), wins (eight), strikeouts (66) and complete games (four) and second-best ERA (5.19) on the team.
Phelps joins the team after spending two seasons with Sierra College. She won a CCCAA championship and was a Big 8 All-Conference Second Team selection. In 16 appearances, Phelps went 10-0 with seven complete game, three shutouts and a 1.11 ERA.
Smith is a junior returner, who made eight starts with two complete games. Smith will be seeking to firm up one of the rotation spots.
King is a freshman from Bartow High School in Lakeland, Fla. She was a First and Second Team All-County selection during her high school career.
Centeno and Mills could be used as a spot starter or relief out of the bullpen. Centeno had the best ERA on the team last season (4.83) in 29 innings of work and struck out 14 batters. Mills picked up six victories and had 37 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched.
Outlook
The Lady Hornets should receive strong competition in its quest for an East Division crown from Mississippi Valley State, who reached the SWAC Championship game last season, and Jackson State, who went 16-1 in conference play.
ASU brings in a good mix of talented veterans and newcomers. The team has returning starters at catcher, third base, shortstop, second base, center field, right field and retained four of its pitchers. The Lady Hornets did lose power hitter Meagan Dixon (.476, 14 home runs, 52 RBI) to graduation, but should see enough improvement from the remainder of the roster to be a strong contender to win the East and make some noise come SWAC tournament time.
