GOSHEN, Ind. - Going into the season, Goshen College head softball coach Lee Mast knew that his young team would likely have its ups and downs.
With just four upperclassmen on the 2011 roster, the Maple Leafs youth showed spectacular talent at numerous times throughout the season. Their overall inexperience, however, also was a factor during stretches as they learned how to compete at the college level in a conference which is loaded with power programs.
As typical for the program, the team opened its season with a lengthy Spring Break trip South. On the field for the first time since the fall, the Leafs got off to a bit of a rocky start. They committed 18 errors in their first four games, starting the season 1-3. The talent began to shine through, however, as they averaged less than an error a game for the rest of the trip and came home just under .500 at 4-5.
Another theme of the season was enduring weather. Rain and wind were almost constant all spring long and led Goshen to having 27 days between contests. After their Florida trip, the Leafs did not get back on the field for a competitive contest until the Mid-Central College Conference opening series against Grace College on March 29. It was then where the MCC got a little taste of Goshen's young talent. Three Maple Leaf picther's combined to give up just eight hits in 14 innings of action leading to a 6-1, 5-4 sweep of the Lancers. A pair of freshman also got their first collegiate home runs as Goshen started 2-0 in conference.
Two days later, the Leafs took another stride forward. After dropping the opening game at home to Indiana Wesleyan, sophomore lefty Maria Koshmider took over in the nightcap. She gave up just four hits and struck out five in six innings leading Goshen to its first victory over the Wildcats in two years. In just two conference series, the Maple Leafs had already matched its MCC win total from the previous season.
After going 2-1 in a trio of non-conference contest, Goshen sat at 9-7 overall and 3-1 in the MCC. That is when they had their first hiccup. Despite having an early lead twice at Spring Arbor University, the Leafs would see their chance to stay close to the top of the conference with a pair of losses. They then fell victim to an undefeated Huntington University squad on the road and with four-straight losses fell below .500 for the first time in weeks.
The youthful talent didn't take long to get back on track. Underclassmen accounted for 13-of-15 hits as the Maple Leafs gutted out 4-1 and 4-2 victories over the University of Saint Francis. In the circle, junior Jessica Reed and Koshmider both fired complete-game efforts.
As quickly as the talent carried them to a sweep, the inexperienced contributed to a pair of rough losses. Three days after taking out Saint Francis, Goshen lost a pair to visiting Taylor University, allowing the Trojans to rally from behind in their final at bat twice. Two extra-inning victories against Purdue North Central would come amidst a flurry of weather-related postponements, but the Leafs would not pull out another MCC contest the rest of the way.
The effort was certainly there as Goshen battled from behind against nationally ranked Marian as well as a pair of contests in the conference tournament. For now, Mast and his youngsters have to be satisfied with improvement and potential. With just one player lost to graduation, though, the future is bright for a Maple Leaf team (13-21) that now boasts experience along with its talent.
After batting .333 in her freshman season, Jenna Nofziger - also a team high eight steals - was an All MCC Honorable Mention selection. Sophomore Stacey Klein went 4-for-6 with four runs in the two MCC Tournament games to be named to the all tournament team. She also led the team in the regular season with a .361 average and .430 on base percentage. Eight Maple Leafs batted over the .300 line as they batted .299 as a team. Reed led the pitching staff with six wins and 48 strike outs, while Koshmider posted a team best 4.32 earned run average in 56 2/3 innings of work.
