2010 Softball Outlook

The Shores Plan seems to be working wonders for Guilford College’s softball team.

No, it’s not a new weight-loss or conditioning scheme. Nor does it have to do with making money or funding higher education in recessional times. The Shores Plan is head coach Dennis Shores’ strategy for building the Quakers’ fledgling softball program into an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contender. After three seasons of the five-year plan, Shores says his team is right on pace.

When Shores came to Guilford in January 2007, the undermanned team was in disarray. After a 9-31 season with just six returning letter winners on an 11-person team, Shores hit the recruiting trail hard in an effort to find some gems for the 2008 season and beyond. That 2007 club actually won 10 games in Shores’ first season and he started making valuable contacts in the North Carolina high school and club softball circuits. A year later, the Quakers won a school-record 20 games and qualified for the six-team ODAC Tournament for the first time since 2003. Shores earned the ODAC’s Coach of the Year Award and interest in the Quakers’ program was growing.

Year three resulted in another school record for victories (26) and the Quakers’ first ODAC Tournament win. Guilford went 13-5 in the conference, earned its highest postseason seed (4th) and set 46 school records. The team also graduated four seniors who had a hand in many of those records and provided valuable leadership.

Year four of the Shores Plan is a transitional year. The seniors who made such meaningful contributions on and off the field are gone, but 14 letter winners return from last year’s 26-13 team, many with starting experience. The Quakers are seeking new leadership, whether from the veterans or from some of the dozen newcomers expected. With his first team comprised entirely of students he recruited, Shores will implement new conditioning and workout plans as well as a junior varsity team this year. He hopes the new challenges and battles for playing time will prepare the Quakers to make their next move into regular ODAC title contenders.

While the official games begin in February, the season starts in the fall during Guilford’s nontraditional season. Every team member comes to the field with a clean slate and a chance to earn a spot in the lineup. The fall also presents opportunities for leaders and team chemistry to grow in anticipation of the 2010 campaign. The pitchers will get a new program and the whole team will experience an exercise regimen that borrows elements from the U.S. Olympic Softball team’s plan. The newcomers Shores has recruited will adjust to college life on and off the field so they’re ready to contribute come springtime.

The graduation of two-time All-ODAC first baseman Kelly Hale and two-year starting shortstop Amber Stapler creates two big holes in Guilford’s infield. Hale, the Quakers’ career leader in home runs and RBIs, provided a left-handed power-hitting presence in the middle of Guilford’s lineup for the past three years. The smooth-fielding Stapler was a .326 career hitter and helped the Quakers post the 11th-highest team fielding percentage in NCAA Division III last year (.970). Shores has plenty of options to fill the gaps, including moving junior Julie Langseth from second to first. Langseth, a natural first baseman, won the starting second baseman’s job last fall in her first season with the team and ended up leading the Quakers with a .378 batting average, 30 RBIs, 10 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Classmate Samantha Golley has a .320 career batting average in two seasons and could see more action at first after appearing in 27 games as a pitcher in 2008 and 2009.

If Langseth goes to first, Shores expects one of the four shortstops he has coming in to make the move to second base. Junior Ami Hutcherson, a two-year starter at third base, is also a possibility at short. Hutcherson earned First Team All-ODAC honors a year ago after hitting .339 from the leadoff position with four triples and 11 stolen bases, both school records. Sophomores Jordan Sanford and Krystal Page are also returning infielders who could figure into the mix.

Shores also has options and flexibility in the outfield where everyone returns save Kelly Guarnieri, the Quakers’ career hits and doubles leader. She patrolled center field for both of the last two seasons, which creates an opening in the all-important middle of the outfield. Sophomore Kimberly Keys, a Second Team All-ODAC pick, won the starting left-fielder’s job last season and hit .345 with a .418 slugging percentage. Juniors Morgan Freyer and Courtney Kozar split time in right field a year ago and are joined by senior Sarah Pedroncelli, who made 12 starts in 2009. Shores says the new outfielders form a talented group that should challenge the veterans for playing time.

In the circle, Guilford returns its ace in sophomore Jessica Burcham. A 2009 college division all-state selection, Burcham set school records for wins (12), saves (3), strikeouts (172) and earned run average (1.67). She will benefit from Shores’ new program for pitchers and could add some new pitches to her five-pitch arsenal. The Quakers graduated number-two pitcher Taryn Pulvermuller ’09 (5-1, 1.92 ERA) from last year’s club, which means more opportunities for sophomores Emily Willis and Shelby Bowser. Willis throws at a different speed and with different movement than Burcham, which proved challenging for 2009 opponents. She posted a 4-2 record with a 1.71 ERA in 28.2 innings. Bowser made four starts last season and recorded a 1-1 record with a 6.30 ERA. Golley also has pitching experience, but may spend more time working out in the infield or outfield in her junior season.

The backstop position is solid with the return of last year’s tandem of senior Charissa Duncan and sophomore Morgan Andrews. The catcher calls the game at Guilford, which makes her an even more important part of the team. Both Duncan and Andrews hit over .300 a year ago and combined for 15 doubles and 29 RBIs, which would have ranked among the team leaders for a single person. The versatile Duncan, one of two seniors on the 2009 team and its lone three-year letter winner, also has infield and outfield experience.

Entering the fall season, Shores really expects finding playing time for everyone will be perhaps his biggest challenge. The proposed junior varsity program will provide innings for a team that will likely have starter-quality players sitting on the bench in some games. In some ways, it is a welcomed predicament as it shows the Shores Plan is right on schedule.