After a devastating loss in the tie-breaking game of the conference tournament last year, the UIS women’s softball team is back and ready to bat.

“We have a much different team than we’ve had in years past,” said head coach Shannon

Guthrie. “This year we look for our offense to be much more dynamic and want to be able to put a lot of pressure on the defense with a mix of speed and power.”

“We have added some left-handed bats in our freshman class to help balance out our lineup,” Guthrie continued, “and have also brought in four transfers [Morgan Edwards – Murray State, Ali Haesele – Illinois Central, Makayla Walsh – Parkland, Katie Wooldridge – Heartland]that will contribute more in the power part of our game.”

The Prairie Stars have a much bigger range of players, from the four returning seniors, who Guthrie said are essential to the team and can lead in different ways, to the seven freshmen, who can and will add depth to key positions on the team.

Guthrie has said in past seasons it was a strong defense that kept the Stars in games.

“We feel this team is set up to be successful on both sides of the ball. While we look to continue our strong defensive game, we also want to see our offensive numbers rise up in every category. Another important part of our game is our team speed, and being aggressive. We hope we can continue to utilize our speed and put pressure on defense.”

Prairie Star pitchers include Ali Haesele, Brittany Moore, and Rachel Goff.

Haesele transferred to the program from Illinois Central College, where she had led her team to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament last spring.

Meanwhile, Moore is the reigning Wisconsin Pitcher of the Year, and an all-state pitcher who led her team to the Wisconsin State Tournament last spring.

And Goff, along with Jaycee Carver, is ready to take the mound after returning with some innings pitched in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.

Guthrie explained that, as a freshman, Carver contributed a lot of innings and really started to understand what it takes to win at the college level. Returning with a year of experience, the team hopes she can really shut out opponents in the conference.

Looking at the rest of the competition, Guthrie said, “The GLVC is always tough, and it will look a little different this year than it has in the years past. Many of the top pitchers have graduated, and it may be more of an offensive conference this year.

“We are looking forward to putting a competitive team out there, and want to make a push to be in the top four at the end of the season.”

The Prairie Stars softball team hit the road this past weekend to Bentonville, Arkansas for their first few games of the season.