Britney Young returns to help guide the 2021 Grace College softball team. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak

By Josh Neuhart
Grace College Sports Information

WINONA LAKE – Grace’s softball team has had its share of curveballs thrown its way over the past year.

Like every softball team, the 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Lady Lancers had played 15 games and flashed potential of a strong unit.

Grace beat Webber International, a team who was receiving votes in the NAIA, and took another receiving votes team to extra innings (Martin Methodist).

The Lady Lancers will be led this spring by interim head coach Hannah Swartzentruber and assistant coach Sam Tew. Although the pair are young, they are far from strangers to the program.

Both players etched their names frequently in Grace’s career record books. Swartzentruber (then Herbster) is the program’s leader in stolen bases and is No. 3 in hits. Tew (then Heim) ranks third in steals and sixth in hits.

Playing sports during the COVID era is a constant juggling act. To deal with the ever-present uncertainty, Grace is focused on incremental, daily improvements on the field.

“The ladies are constantly pushing each other, working on getting one percent better every day,” Swartzentruber said. “There is a constant focus to improve every aspect of our game. We still have work to do, but we are eager to get back on the field.”

Offensively, Grace brings a solid lineup back from last year. Jessica Kaurich batted .409 with seven RBIs in 15 games, and Britney Young boasted a slash line of .381/.458/.548 with four doubles and a homer.

Laikyn Lowe (.333 batting average), Jeri Ellis (.293) and Carly Ruiz (.282) also impressed from the plate in their shortened freshman campaigns in 2020.

Dori Knight is the elder statesman among the pitchers. She has over 200 innings pitched to her career total and has an ERA of 4.76.

Jeri Ellis led Grace in innings as a freshman last year, tossing 48 innings with two wins and a save to her credit. Ashley Beckler was also a regular in the rotation with eight strikeouts in 15 innings of work.

“We have a lot of big bats on the team and hitters who won’t back down. Our pitching staff has been looking strong all around as well, so I think we could surprise a lot of people this year,” Swartzentruber added.

Swartzentruber commented that several freshmen will have opportunities to step into key roles immediately for Grace. Maddie Bremer and Alexis Bergman will likely earn significant roles on the mound, and Cassandra Hayes has impressed in preseason with her dynamic bat and defense at first base.

With a young team, Swartzentruber noted how important the mental aspect of softball would be this year. “It’s a sport where you fail more than you succeed. So having a strong mental game is a huge part of success. We have talent, but learning to grow in the midst of setbacks is what will lead to success.”

Swartzentruber noted the team is hungry to be on the diamond, hoping to remove the bitter taste of a COVID-shortened year.

“Our girls have come back and left everything on the field each day this year. They know that at any point the game they love can be taken away. They are so excited to play for each other and for Christ. We have a group of very humble girls, and it’s fun to watch them celebrate each other’s successes.”

The Lady Lancers start the season this weekend in Tennessee with four games. After that, Grace will travel further south to play a weeklong series of games in Georgia.