Following a difficult 2014 season, the Clan softball team has set their sights on improved results and strong team unity.
The women will put a tough campaign where they finished with only four wins in 39 games behind them, but will take the experience and adversity into a fresh start under head coach Mike Renney.
Injuries hampered the entire campaign for the Clan, often forcing young players into unfamiliar positions in order to play for survival. Despite this, the coach is confident that his younger players have benefitted from this playing time and versatility for future games.
“Last year was a perfect storm, said Renney. “We had some unforeseen injuries, and had lost some key veterans we were relying on. That, combined with the losing a good graduating class from the year before meant we were really young. [. . .] The flipside of that is that a lot of the young athletes who normally wouldn’t have got the playing time were battle-tested, and certainly should be better for it with experience moving forward.”
Returning for the Clan is key pitcher Kelsie Hawkins who will surely provide some much needed veteran presence — Hawkins was redshirted last season because of an offseason injury. The Victoria native led the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) in shutouts during her 2013 season, eventually being named a GNAC first team all-star.
Also returning from an injury-shortened season is starting shortstop and team captain Danielle Raison, who was given an honourable mention for the 2014 GNAC all-star selections.
“[Danielle] went down with a key injury halfway through the year, and she’s returned to form for her starting position,” added Renney. “But we’ve got added depth now because of the players that have had experience. [. . .] More time in different positions for certain players has given them more of a repertoire and versatility off the bench.”
Just two wins in conference play during 2014 spells another challenge on the horizon for the Clan, but recent additions to the team will surely bolster their available options. Samantha Ruffett (Brampton, ON) and Jessica Tate (Georgetown, ON) will join the Clan from the Brampton Blazers as catcher and left-handed pitcher, respectively. Also among the Clan’s new faces are the local talents of outfielder Sierra Sherrit (Richmond, BC), and power hitter and utility infielder Brooklyn Smith (North Vancouver, BC).
Renney believes that minimizing runs against the Clan will be crucial to their goal of reaching the top four and ultimately the playoffs.
“Our conference is a very competitive one, and there are no games you can take lightly,” he said. “We have to climb a bit to get into the top four, and everything is up from here on out.”
The Clan will begin action on February 7, when they travel to face the Hawaii Pacific University Sharks.
