Softball 2017 Preview: Pitchers/Catchers
2/4/2017 11:00:00 AM | Softball
HUNTSVILLE – With the Sam Houston State Bearkats on the verge of opening up the 2017 season, Sam Houston State Athletics takes a look at this season's squad, led by Hall of Fame head coach Bob Brock.
This is the first of a three-part series previewing the team prior to its season opener on Friday, February 10 at ULM. Today we take a look at the Bearkat pitchers and catchers.
Returners: Lindsey McLeod, Tayler Atkinson, Jordan Franks
Newcomers: Casey Kauder, Kaitlynn Dawson, Megan Crosby, Bailey White
The Bearkats bring back plenty of experience to the circle for 2017 with their top three returning pitchers having compiled 276 of 335 innings pitched a year ago. Tayler Atkinson (Spring, Texas) enters her senior season with the most experience and led the team with 10 wins in her junior campaign.
Her 107.1 innings pitched was second on the team, as were her eight victories, and with three years under her belt she will be counted on as a steadying piece to Brock's stable of arms this season. Of her 20 starts in 2016, 10 of them saw her go at least 5.0 innings with her best week coming when she picked up a pair of wins at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, allowing just one run in 13.0 innings of work in the series.
“Taylor is our senior and we are expecting her to have a really good year and be a leader on the team,” Brock said. “She is a strong pitcher and has worked very hard for the past three years. This year we are going to expect a lot out of her and to be a leader, on and off the field.”
Joining her will be sophomore Lindsey McCleod who led the Kats in innings (130.1), strikeouts (124) and wins (10) as a true freshman in 2016. The Austin Westlake product made 21 of her 37 appearances in relief, but showed early an often she could handle the load, starting with a 3.2-inning performance on Feb. 19 against Prairie View that saw her punch out 10 hitters.
She also tossed a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against Central Michigan later in the year and had an 11-strikeout outing against Texas Southern, finishing the season averaging nearly a strikeout per inning while holding hitters to a .252 average.
“We relied a lot on Lindsey last year and she really excelled in helping us get back into the conference tournament,” Brock said. “She gets quite a few strikeouts and does not give up a lot of hits, and her riseball makes things very tough on hitters.”
Jordan Franks (Manvel, Texas) will give Brock another option heading into her junior season after hurling 68.2 innings and picking up three wins a season ago. Two of those wins – at UIW and at Stephen F. Austin – proved pivotal in helping the Kats propel into the conference tournament. The right-hander made 11 starts as a sophomore, but Brock says she has she has shown well at the plate and could see time playing in the field.
The three returners will be joined by a pair of freshmen who could provide an immediate impact. Kaitlynn Dawson (Lubbock, Texas) and Casey Kauder (Caldwell, Texas) will both have their chances to impact games after stellar prep careers. Dawson was more known as an offensive threat at Lubbock Coronado HS, and will likely make an impact in the lineup in addition to the circle after a high school career that saw her hit more than 20 home runs.
Meanwhile, Kauder racked up the accolades at Caldwel HS, posting a 107-31 record with a 1.47 ERA for the Hornets and was her district's MVP for each of her four years.
“We are excited for the freshman coming in, and we think they are going to be impact pitchers and give us a good solid different look throughout the five pitchers that we have,” Brock said.
Those pitchers will be likely throwing to a pair of freshmen backstops, both of whom Brock is high on as they begin their Bearkat careers. Megan Crosby (Needville, Texas) hit .606 and drove in 63 runs as a senior and Brock knows that he will have an immediate power threat with her in the lineup.
Meanwhile, Bailey White (Burleson, Texas) will get her share of time as well after driving in 82 runs and earning all-state honors at Burleson's Centennial HS.
“Coming into the year, our catchers are pretty even, and they both push one another,” Brock said. Both are pretty good hitters and both can throw people out. They give me the opportunity to rotate them, which is good because it is really hard to catch these pitchers pitches every game.”
