BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team upped its win total for the second straight season under Head Coach Paige Jansen who took over in 2021. A pitching staff that showed marked improvement was key to Bluffton sporting an ERA that was 1.50 runs better in 2023. The Beavers finished with a team ERA of 4.80 thanks to 40 fewer walks than 2022.
Bluffton will have a major-league hole to fill in the middle of the lineup following the graduation of Bobbi Adams who earned her third straight All-Heartland Conference honor, collecting 1st Team All-HCAC in all three years in which the awards were handed out! However, all is not lost as Adams will use her considerable talents as Bluffton's graduate assistant coach the next two seasons. A two-time NFCA All-Region performer, Adams wrapped up her career at the top of the Bluffton record books with a ridiculous .417 batting average! Her .614 slugging percentage is 5th all-time at Bluffton, while her 15 homers are 6th all-time. The Beavers will use her knowledge at the plate and behind it to continue improving all facets of the game.
The pitching staff will see a facelift with Erin Norman and Grace Fillinger moving into the working world. Norman finished with a 3.80 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 118 innings, while Fillinger fanned 38 in 109 innings. She posted an ERA that was 10 runs a game lower than her junior season!
Senior Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersville) has been a key cog for the Beaver infield at third base. She hit .313 with 19 runs scored and 11 RBI while drawing 10 free passes in 2023. Dales played 37 games in 2023, starting all but one. Mia McCartney (North Baltimore) cleaned everything up on the other side of the diamond, fielding at a .977 clip and going a perfect 8-of-8 on stolen bases.
Elizabeth Crites (Findlay) and Kaylee Grant (Lima/Shawnee) both smacked it around the yard as freshmen. Crites hit .344 with seven runs scored in 32 at bats, while Grant hit .341 with 13 runs scored and nine RBI. Sophomore Riley Hammonds (Russia) earned more time as the year progressed and she allowed Adams to move out from behind the plate. She hit .276 and drove in 11 runs during year one at Bluffton.
Returning outfielders back for 2024 are juniors Kayleigh Michael (Eaton/National Trail) and Hayley Lewis (Kettering/Fairmont) along with sophomore Julia Tegeder (Hamilton). Senior Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) has been a contributor in the circle despite battling injuries during her first three years as a Beaver. Ashley Kloeker (Troy) split time with Grant at shortstop and senior Taylor Born (Mt. Cory/Cory-Rawson) did nice work behind the plate after transferring to Bluffton last season.
The Beavers will head to Florida to kick off the 2024 campaign. Bluffton is slated for 10 games in the Sunshine State before traveling to Tiffin for a pair of games at Heidelberg on Wednesday, March 13. A home double-dipper with Earlham not only kicks off the Heartland Conference portion of the schedule on Saturday, March 30, but it also marks the first season Earlham will compete in softball since joining the HCAC. The Beavers are slated to cap off their 2024 campaign following graduation, on Saturday, May 4, when Hanover makes the trip north.
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