The Lady Bucs softball team is a little over a month away from beginning their inaugural season with the ETSU Athletic Program, which Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo is very optimistic about.
“I feel we’ll be very competitive (in the conference),” she said.
DeFeo will look to team captain Andrea Roberts to lead the Lady Bucs into conference action.
Roberts, a junior transfer from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, has seen the rigors of conference play and will lead the Lady Bucs from the second base and catcher positions.
“She’s a great leader,” DeFeo said. “She’s got a lot of field experience and playing experience having played for University of Tennessee-Chattanooga under (Head Coach) Karen Weekly, who was one of the Olympic coaches last year.”
Roberts will also help a Lady Bucs’ offense, which DeFeo expects to be well balanced with the whole team capable of contributing.
“On a whole we’ll be well-rounded and strong,” she said. “Our strengths (are that we can) do everything bunt, slap, do the short game, and hit the long ball, we have some kids that can.”
The Lady Bucs hope to be strong in the field with pitchers, freshman Tiffany Vandergriff and junior April Arnold.
With an early injury to pitcher Kayla Calvert, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi, Vandergriff and Arnold will be heavily relied upon.
“She’ll (Vandergriff) be our go-to pitcher,” DeFeo said.
DeFeo will also rely on Arnold to step up as well at the pitcher and third base positions.
“She pitched for us in the fall and did a great job,” she said. “I’m hoping she’ll be someone to step up and do the job as well.”
The Lady Bucs will have a combination of youth and experience on their squad with seven of the 16 players being juniors and seniors and the other nine consisting of eight freshmen and a sophomore.
The lone senior on the squad is utility player Amber Ledbetter.
Ledbetter, along with juniors Arnold, Roberts, shortstop Melanie Collins, outfielder/ catcher Porshia Edmondson, pitcher Marsha Giles and outfielder Jessica Hodge, will provide experience and leadership to the younger players on the squad.
Calvert, the only sophomore, with freshmen Vandergriff, first baseman Miranda Byerly, second baseman Julia Chance, outfielder Shawnda Cole, outfielder/catcher Rhea Holler, catcher Danielle Richardson, first baseman Judith St. Clair and third baseman Deeann Stratton will be looked upon to gain valuable experience, for they will be mainstays in the program for years to come.
The Lady Bucs will open their season Feb. 15 at Sam Houston State.
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