The 2012 Eastern Ilinois softball team is on a mission to be better than last year’s team, which is quite the task, considering they went 40-12 and won the regular season conference title.


The Panthers have reason to be confident, though, as they return eight starting position players and pitching ace Stephanie Mayday. Seventh year head coach Kim Schuette, the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year, has very high expectations for the team as well, but wants them to approach each day as a new beginning.

“After you have a season like last year you tend to forget how much daily work had to occur for that to happen,” head coach Kim Schuette said. “Day one, you have to work hard at practice, that’s what I need to make sure I think about as well as the players. Think about one game at a time and being prepared for the first game we step onto the field, not the end result.”

The enthusiasm for the upcoming season is not only prevalent throughout the coaching staff and fans, but also among the team.

“We’re excited. We’re ready to get going and ready for some competition to see how we look,” senior first baseman Amanda Belinda said. “We’re expecting good things.”

Eastern fans can expect this year’s lineup to look fairly similar to last year’s group, which set school records for wins and homeruns.

“We don’t really know who’s going to be starting,” Shuette said. “We have some kids we brought in who are pretty dang talented, and there’s a lot of competition. I think the core will look similar.”

The preseason poll was just recently released with Eastern being picked to finish second in the conference.

“I guess it’s a compliment because Eastern’s never been picked to finish second in a conference preseason poll,” Schuette said. “On the other hand, it’s kind of a slap on the wrist because we won it all last year, so why weren’t we picked first.”

The Panthers lineup will be led by junior centerfielder Melise Brown. Brown hit for a .384 batting average last season, with 30 RBIs and 40 runs scored. She was also an all Ohio Valley Conference first team selection.

Sophomores Morgan Biel and Carly Willert, both second team Ohio Valley Conference players, also return this season. Biel, an outfielder, hit for a batting average of .321 with four homeruns and 28 RBIs last season. Willert, an infielder, hit for a batting average of .292 with eight homeruns and 30 runs batted in.

Senior catcher Hailee Hanna will return for her final season. Hanna hit for a batting average of .339 with seven homeruns and 22 runs batted in.

Sophomore pitching ace Stephanie Mayday also returns this season after a fantastic freshman year where she won 14 games, recorded a 1.61 ERA and struck out 114 batters. She was also named as a second team all OVC selection. She will be joined on the mound by sophomore newcomer Hanna Mennenga, a transfer from Heartland Community College.

Sophomore two-sport athlete (Volleyball) Reynae Hutchinson will also get more innings on the mound this year.

Overall, the team is very confident and knows it has a lot to prove.

“We have a lot of girls returning and we’re building on our skills from last year, expecting to do better and more advanced things, and we’re looking to repeat,” first baseman Amanda Belinda said.

With the team looking to repeat and a load of experienced players returning with the Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year on their side, it seems likely that the fans will have a lot to look forward too from the 2012 Panther softball team.

The season will kick off on Feb. 18, when the team travels to Atlanta, Ga., to play in the Georgia State tournament. Its first opponent will be Chattanooga.

Erik Jensen can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].