BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University softball team more than doubled its win total from 2021 to 2022 and second-year head coach Paige Jansen is ready to push the victory column even higher in 2023. Bluffton battled umpire shortages and rainy weather but still managed to play eight of its 10 contests at 'The Spring Games' before downing regional-power Calvin on the opening weekend back in Ohio.
Headlining Bluffton's 2023 squad is Bobbi Adams (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) who took home First Team All-Heartland Conference recognition and Third Team NFCA All-Region honors the past two seasons. She was a load at the plate, hitting .444 while starting all 36 games for the Beavers. Adams finished 5th in the conference for batting average and 5th all-time for a single season at Bluffton. The all-conference backstop led the HCAC with 38 RBI which is 5th in the single-season record book at Bluffton. Her six home runs placed Adams in a tie for 2nd in the league.
Senior Erin Norman (Pleasant Hill/Newton) threw almost half of Bluffton's innings in 2022. She walked just 13 batters in 107.0 innings with a team-best 43 strikeouts. Norman tossed four complete games and finished the season with a 4.45 ERA. Also back for her final year in the circle is Grace Fillinger (Hinckley/Highland) who went 2-3 in 25.0 innings of work.
Second baseman Sydney Zinkon (Fresno/Ridgewood) was a fixture in the heart of the lineup, hitting a pert .301 as a junior. She scored 23 runs and started 34 of her 35 games in 2022. Fellow senior Sammi Urban (Troy/Miami East) found a home in the outfield, hitting .241 in 24 starts as a junior.
Flashing her leather at the hot corner, junior Kryshel Dales (Defiance/Ayersville) started all 36 games in 2022. She scored 15 times and drove in 11 runs while smacking four doubles and a triple last season. Lexus Rutledge (Henderson, KY/Henderson County) has been a regular face in center field since she stepped on campus in 2020. The two-year starter hit .282 with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored as a sophomore.
Junior Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) held the opposition to a Bluffton-low .305 batting average and notched two saves while hurling 28.2 innings last season. Bryn Cisco (Lancaster/Fairfield Union) took advantage of her speed on the bases, scoring 11 runs as Bluffton's go-to pinch runner.
Sophomore Hayley Lewis (Kettering/Fairmont) finished her freshman campaign with a .289 batting average, nine runs scored and nine RBI.
The Beavers will once again head to Florida to kick off the 2023 campaign. Bluffton is slated for 10 games in the Sunshine State before welcoming regional-power Heidelberg on Wednesday, March 15. A trip to rival Defiance kicks off the Heartland Conference portion of the schedule on Saturday, April 8. The Beavers are slated to wrap up their 2023 season with four straight home doubleheaders in a span of six days, culminating with Marietta on Sunday, April 30.
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