Posted: Mar 13, 2023

Softball Season Preview

March 13, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

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WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The 2023 season for Maranatha Softball starts Thursday, and a mix of returners and rookies join Coach Rob Thompson for the sprint of a six-week season.

The Sabercats open on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Central against North Central University at the Regional Athletics Center Dome in West St. Paul, Minnesota. The Sabercats have the unique challenge of facing live pitchers for the first time all preseason, while North Central has already played four games.

Head Coach Rob Thompson looks forward to the 2023 season with eagerness with a squad of mostly new faces:

"The team has been working diligently to prepare for the 2023 season," said Thompson. "The Lord has allowed us to put this team together, and we look forward to growing together. Our goals are simple. Grow in our relationship with the Lord and with each other, demonstrate Christlikeness on and off the field, and be competitive in games. If we can do these things, our season will be a success, regardless of our record of wins and losses.

"One of the key factors for this year’s team is our intentionality on focusing our team devotional time memorizing and talking about love from I Corinthians 13, and how we can apply love both internally and externally. The whole team is working to memorize the entire chapter, and we recite it daily.

"Weather is always going to be a challenge in the spring. We have very limited opportunities to be outside prior to games starting. The other significant challenge is having a consistent schedule. We have already lost four games from the schedule to the closing of another institution, and struggle to find other teams to fill in those gaps. The spring sports at MBU are not like the fall and winter teams where they have ample opportunity to find regional NCCAA teams to play. The entirety of our schedule is against NCAA DIII and NAIA opponents. Finally, having a full squad of players with softball experience [is] almost unheard of at MBU. We rely on players coming from basketball, volleyball, and soccer who can use their athletic ability to play a new sport. We have had good success in previous years, and look for that to continue."

LEADERSHIP

Head Coach Rob Thompson returns for his 17th season at the helm and is joined by assistant coach Krysten Lawver. Malia Bullock and Dani Chaney will co-lead as Captains.

AT A GLANCE

Ashley Nerat, Malia Bullock, Bethany Searle, Eryn Bates, Dani Chaney, and Margaret McIntyre return to the roster
The roster features eight rookies
The schedule features 28 games on 14 different dates
The Sabercats will enjoy a 14-game homestand from April 4-15

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