Softball Saw Steady Improvement in 2011

STEUBENVILLE—Despite a 3-27 record on the season, the Franciscan University softball program, under the guidance of first-year head coach Terry Leighty, saw consistent improvements in various areas of the game.

"We have taken a giant step in the progress of the softball program," Leighty said. "We improved in every statistical area." The Lady Barons had five players with a .300 or better batting average, they improved the team batting average by 30 points, they scored more runs and stole more bases than any other team in FUS softball history, and they reduced strikeouts and errors.

To go along with the impressive team improvements, there were a number of notable individual accomplishments for the Lady Barons as well. Senior captain Lara Plumlee was one of only three players in all of Div. III softball with at least 80 at-bats and zero strikeouts on the year. "That is a tremendous achievement," Leighty noted. Plumlee also made the 2011 All-Conference Sportsmanship Team, while teammate Erin Gulick earned third team all-conference honors.

According to Coach Leighty, the future is bright for Franciscan softball. "We are very excited about the future," he said. "We're hoping to win more games next year. We have over 15 girls who have shown interest [in playing softball] in the incoming freshman class, as well as a number of other prospects, including an outstanding pitcher. The girls returning from this year's team will only be better for what they went through this year."

Despite losing girls to graduation and transfers, Leighty still holds high hopes for the future. "The coaching staff can't wait to get started for next year," he said.

Honoring the Lady Barons at the end of the season banquet, Leighty presented the most valuable player award and the St. Sebastian award to Lara Plumlee, outstanding offensive player to Brianna Antrim, outstanding defensive player to Emily Whiteside, and the St. Francis award to Erin Gulick.