Softball 2019 Preview: Infielders
2/3/2019 11:20:00 AM | Softball
Season Tickets Available For 2019
The 2019 Sam Houston State softball season is nearly upon us, with first-year head coach Garrett Valis' team to open up the season on Feb. 9 in Houston vs Kentucky.
This is the second of a three-part preview, position by position, of this year's squad, leading up to the 2019 opener.
INFIELDER NOTABLES
Returning: Tiffany Thompson, Brooke Malia, Taylar Fuselier, Ashley Goetz
Newcomers: Kyndal Kutac, Rylee Hazlewood
HUNTSVILLE – They say that teams are built up the middle, and this year's Sam Houston State softball team goes into this season with strength from behind the plate all the way out to center field.
That includes arguably the top middle infield tandem in the Southland entering this year in junior shortstop Tiffany Thompson and sophomore second baseman Brooke Malia. The pair combined for 42 extra-base hits between them a year ago and could see those numbers climb even higher in 2019.
Thompson, along with center fielder Megan McDonald, have played in every game at prime positions for the Kats as both true freshmen and sophomores and this season Thompson kicks off the year as the SLC's preseason all-conference first team shortstop, and for good reason.
She hit .301 as a sophomore while leading the team in home runs (8), triples (3) and stolen bases (19 of 20). All of that while playing the highest-volume position – shortstop – for a Bearkat team that led the SLC with a .971 fielding percentage a year ago.
“Tiffany is the prototypical shortstop at our level,” head coach Garrett Valis said. “She is a do-it-all kind of kid who has been working on some things to become more consistent at the plate. Her biggest thing to improve on is just putting the ball in play, because when she does she is hitting around the .400 mark.”
Her numbers equaled out to a .536 slugging percentage a year ago, a mark that ranked 11th among all players in the league. She is also the first Bearkat since 1986 to lead the team in both home runs and steals in the same season.
“One thing we really haven't been able to do in recent years is attack from the base paths from the beginning of our order before we get to kids who don't run as well but can mash the ball around,” Valis said. “I think we are going to be able to do that quite a bit more this year, and Tiffany is a big part of that from both a leadership and skill standpoint.”
She will be flanked to her left by Malia who is coming off a breakout freshman campaign that saw her power numbers jump off the page. She hit for just a .241 average in her first year of college softball, but delivered five home runs, 22 RBI and 16 doubles on the year.
The 16 doubles was tied for second among all players in the Southland Conference and was just one shy of tying the SHSU single-season record for doubles that has stood since 1988.
“Brooke has so much offensive potential and has worked extremely hard on her defensive game,” Valis said. “She came here having played shortstop all her life, but has done a great job of adjusting to the intricacies of having to play second base.”
At 5-10, Malia is bigger than typical second baseman; however, it was not a hindrance in a 2018 that saw her play in all 56 games and start 54 of them at that spot. Offensively, she is now a year older and Valis feels as though some of the hits that were doubles a year ago could turn into home runs in 2019.
“She understands how people are pitching her now,” he said. “Last year was a lot of see-ball, hit-ball and this year I think she is going to have a much better idea of how each at-bat is going to play out.”
With the two middle spots essentially on lockdown for the year, the Bearkats enter this year looking to nail down each of its corner infield spots, and have a multitude of options to do so.
One likely candidate to see time on at either spot is redshirt-junior Taylar Fuselier who has been getting the majority of reps at first base in the fall and spring. She primarily played third base a year ago after sitting out a year following a transfer from in-conference foe Southeastern Louisiana.
She turned in a solid 2018, starting 31 games on the infield while hitting .244 and brings a versatility to the team that coaches are always in search of.
“She is one of those kids that is good to have in the lineup because she does so many quality things,” Valis said. “She understands that she can contribute in a number of different ways, and is very excited for this opportunity, which is one she has waited a long time for.”
The Kats also see Ashley Goetz battling for time on the corners as she has gotten plenty of work at both first and third over the fall and spring workout periods. She missed nearly all of last year with an injury and played primarily as the team's everyday left fielder in 2017 and was on the infield all of 2016.
“Ashley is doing great from a health standpoint and has really worked on changing her body and getting faster,” Valis said. “She is someone that I really trust as far as the at-bats she has and we anticipate her battling for time at both of those corner positions.”
SHSU will also feature a pair of freshmen – Kyndal Kutac and Rylee Hazlewood - this season who could work their way into the mix. Valis describes Hazlewood as a traditional third baseman with a very good glove who will likely make an impact this season with what she brings both defensively and on the bases.
Kutac, meanwhile, is a player that Valis feels is going to be tough to keep out of the lineup from the start. She has played each spot in the infield during fall and spring practice, but will likely see the bulk of her time at either a corner spot or at DP in the lineup to make sure her impact bat is in the starting nine.
A native of Schulenberg, she drove in 82 runs in just 65 high school games with 58 extra-base hits and a career .532 batting average a Shorthorn.
“Kyndal is very strong and really fits the mold of someone who can not only hit the ball out of the ballpark, but run as well,” Valis said. “She is one of the highest effort kids in practice every day, regardless of what we are doing and she is going to be a leader throughout her time here.”
