The University of Cincinnati Clermont College women’s fast pitch softball team is confident for achieving yet another season of success.

Dan Kinney will be leading the Cougars for the fourth consecutive campaign. He began the program four seasons ago.

He has eight returning letter earners from last year with the loss of just two.

“Our hitting will be much improved this year and defense-wise we’ve improved a lot, too,” said Kinney. “Our hitting and pitching will be our main strengths, but we’ve got a lot of young players. We lost some good players that we have to replace.”

Eight of the UC Clermont players will be seeing their first year of college competition, but their coach believes this to be a very talented group of freshmen.

The Clermont head honcho expects to see good pitching from righthander Brittany Neal, a sophomore from Bethel-Tate, Jessica Drees, a freshman, righthander Amanda Zolnay, a senior, and righthander Alicia Watson, a freshman.

Kinney expects to receive good offensive performances from Kaitlyn Harcourt, a freshman from Clermont Northeastern, Amanda Carpenter, a freshman from Glen Este, Jenny Bashore, a freshman, Abbie Bowmaster, a freshman, Katie Depeel, a freshman, Jessica Conners, a sophomore, and Taylor McDonald, a junior, and Mel Vagedes, a senior.

The defensive standouts are expected to be Drees at third base, Bashore at shortstop, Conners in left field, Vagedes in centerfield and shortstop, and McDonald at second base or third base.

“I hope for us to be at least better then the rest of the league. This is definitely going to be a pitcher dominated league,” said Kinney. He expects his Cougars’ toughest competition in the Ohio Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) to be the Southern State Community College Patriots and the Clark State Community College Eagles.

The other members of the OCAA are Ohio Christian University Trailblazers, Ohio State University – Marion Scarlet Wave, Temple Baptist College Rams, and World Harvest Bible College Warriors.

Roster

Sami Weber, sophomore first baseman and outfielder, graduate of Bethel-Tate High School; Brittany Neal, junior third baseman and second baseman, graduate of Bethel-Tate High School; Kaitlyn Harcourt, freshman third baseman and rightfielder, graduate of Clermont Northeastern High School; Megan Rossi, freshman outfielder and second baseman, graduate of Bethel-Tate High School; Jessica Drees, sophomore pitcher and third baseman, graduate of Troy High School; Jessica Conners, sophomore leftfielder and catcher, graduate of Oak Hills High School; Sarah Stratman, junior third baseman and second baseman, graduate of Western Pike High School; Allison Hibner, senior first baseman and outfielder, graduate of Vandalia Butler High School; Mel Vagedes, senior centerfielder and shortstop, graduate of Tippecanoe High School; Taylor MacDonald, senior second baseman and third baseman, graduate of Fischer Catholic High School; Jenny Bashore, freshman shortstop and outfielder, graduate of Tippecanoe High School; Abbie Bowmaster, freshman catcher and second baseman, graduate of Westerville Central High School; Amanda Carpenter, freshman first baseman and catcher, graduate of Glen Este High School; Datie Depeel, freshman shortstop and second baseman, graduate of Princeton High School; Alicia Watson, freshman first baseman and pitcher, graduate of Oak Hills High School; and Amanda Zolney, senior pitcher and second baseman, graduate of Cleveland Westlake High School.

The assistant coaches of the Red and Black are Chris Kinney, son of the head coach and a graduate of Glen Este High School, and Bill Drees from Troy, Ohio.

The academic advisor is Peggy Hager, an associate professor of mathematics who is a member of the University of Cincinnati Clermont College Athletic Hall of Fame and a graduate of Glen Este High School.

Schedule

M ar. 26 at Miami University – Hamilton (doubleheader), Mar. 27 at Clark State Community College (doubleheader), Apr. 2 at Cedarville College, Apr. 3 Miami University – Hamilton (doubleheader), Apr. 8 at Ohio University – Chillicothe (doubleheader), Apr. 9 Ohio Christian University (doubleheader), Apr. 22 Southern State Community College (doubleheader), Apr. 23 Clark State Community College (doubleheader), and Apr. 30 at Southern State Community College (doubleheader).

All home games are played at the Tealtown Fields, Tealtown Road, Union Township (site of the old Glen Este Speedway).