Walters 
Schneider |
It hasn't been the kind of start that the Tigers had hoped for, but there is a lot of softball yet to be played in 2002 - hopefully in warmer temperatures, under sunnier skies and with a team that finally begins to click.
The Tigers went 5-4-1 in Florida earlier this month but suffered a major blow when freshman Jen Fleming (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne)went down in the first game of the year with a broken leg. She was expected to be a major contributor, and losing her for the year dropped the team down to just 12 healthy players. Since returning from the trip, the Tigers have been having a tough time, especially on the mound, as opponents are batting .285 against Wittenberg pitchers and have collected 119 hits in just 103 innings. Offensively, the Tigers are scoring some runs, six more than their opponents overall,and have two regulars hitting better than .300. Leading the charge with the bat has been junior centerfielder Beth Walters (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales), who is hitting a sizzling .457 in 16 starts. She leads the team with two home runs, 12 runs batted in, 33 total bases and six doubles. Senior shortstop Christy Schneider (Fairfield,Ohio/Fairfield) has also been hot of late, raising her batting average to .333 over the weekend in losses to Albion and Adrian. Schneider, who bats leadoff, tops the squad in runs with 20 and is tied for the team lead in doubles with six. |