Softball preview

(The Bears' seniors are, from left, Jillian Ditzler, Olivia Kuntz, Kara Hernley, Brianna Kuntz and Jen Dunkelberger).

Head Coach: Gary Wylde, second season.

2007 Record: 15-7 overall, 13-3 league. Section Two champions. Lost to Donegal in first round of Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs. Beat Central Dauphin in first round of District Three playoffs and lost to Warwick in second round of District Three playoffs.

Key Returners: Jen Dunkelberger, senior, 2B; Jillian Ditzler, senior, P/OF; Brianna Kuntz, senior, 3B; Olivia Kuntz, senior 1B; Kara Hernley, senior, OF; Becca Bigler, junior, SS; Anna Libby, junior, C, Tricia Stone, junior, P/OF; Abby Fuhrman, sophomore, OF; Mandi Shearer, sophomore, OF.
The Bears return a host of talent from last year’s section-championship team.
The talented group of seniors are led by Dunkelberger who will be playing her fourth year at the varsity level. Her leadership will be invaluable, as there is just about nothing she hasn’t seen. She’s also a good infielder and will be a sparkplug in the lineup.
Ditzler is the ace of the staff, but she will be joined by Stone in the circle, and the duo will handle the majority of the pitching responsibilities. Both were all-stars last season and give E-town one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in Section Two.
Brianna and Olivia Kuntz also return to anchor the corners of the infield. Both also bring a lot of energy to E-town’s lineup. Brianna Kuntz also brings experience as this will be her third varsity season. And Hernley gives E-town another good outfielder who can play solid defense.
E-town’s group of underclassmen also bring a lot to the table and are a major reason why E-town is arguably the team to beat in Section Two.
They are led by Bigler, the team’s best player and one of the best players in the L-L League. Bigler is always a threat to do damage with her bat, but is also excellent at shortstop. Last year, she was voted the L-L’s best shortstop by the league coaches. Pitchers around the league and section will be very careful with Bigler, knowing what she is capable of.
Libby was also an all-star last year and will handle the catching duties for the Bears. She is a tough catcher and plays good defense. She is also a good hitter and gives E-town yet another weapon.
Fuhrman and Shearer are only sophomores, but both are good athletes and should give the Bears solid defense in the outfield. They can also make things happen offensively. They could be primed for breakout seasons.

Key Newcomers: Ashleigh Nolan, junior, INF/OF; Tristen Gutshall, junior, OF; Leah Hayward, junior, 1B; Leigh Miller, sophomore, OF; Jamie Ahern, sophomore, INF/OF.
With so many returning starters from a year ago (the Bears lost just three players to graduation), there won’t be a lot of pressure on this group to step right in and be major contributors, which could be a good thing. They will have a chance to learn from the talented class of returning players and, when they are needed to step up and contribute, they should be ready.
Ahern and Nolan are versatile players that can play infield or outfield, which gives Wylde plenty of options defensively.
Gutshall and Miller also provide some outfield depth, and Hayward will likely backup Olivia Kuntz at first base, but should see some time to prepare for next season.
This group gives E-town a deep team, which will come in handy should there be any injuries or if Wylde needs to rest some players.

Key Losses: Shannon Marsico, CF Sarah Blantz, 1B; Jen Heisey, OF.
The Bears lost only three players, but all were key parts of last year’s section champion team.
Marsico, who is now playing for Elizabethtown College, was E-town’s centerfielder, and gave the Bears speed in the outfield and on the basepaths, where her aggressive baserunning led to lots of runs for the offense. She was a first team all-star last year.
Blantz’s power will be missed. She was also a first team all-star a year ago and was one of E-town’s top run producers.
Heisey was another of E-town’s all-stars last year. She was a high energy player who was good in the outfield.
While E-town will certainly miss these players’ contributions on the field, they’ll also miss the leadership they provided off of it. The returning players will need to step in and fill that leadership void that they left.

What they do well: Play together, pitching, hitting.
Sure the Bears have a lot of talent coming back this season, but what makes E-town a playoff-caliber team is their unselfishness and their ability to play multiple positions.
“We have a group of kids that work extremely hard and want to succeed,” Wylde said. “They work so well together and understand that playing together is how they can reach their goals. This group is a joy to coach.”
Also, with Bigler at the heart of their lineup and good hitters around her, the Bears can score runs in a variety of ways. They have some power hitters and also some speed players. That mix, along with E-town’s aggressive baserunning style, should allow them to score runs off of even the toughest pitchers.
When it comes to pitching, Ditzler and Stone were fantastic last year and could be even better this season. Neither is extremely overpowering, but they change speeds effectively and throw a lot of strikes, which keeps hitters off balance and keeps them swinging.

What they need to work on: Getting over the hump.
The E-town program has developed into one of the most successful in the L-L League. They are always in the playoff hunt and will likely be there again this year.
What they need to do, however, is figure out how to beat the best teams around. They are right on the cusp of being elite, but need to get some quality playoff wins to take that next step. Beating teams like Donegal, Warwick and Solanco will go a long way for their confidence.
They also need to rely on their returning players to step in and provide strong leadership to get there.
“We need to recover from the loss of the three seniors. Each was not only a good softball player, but provided guidance and leadership to their teammates,” said Wylde. “I believe we have many possible players to step in and fill that leadership roll, and look forward to seeing that develop.”

Outlook:
As the reigning section champs, E-town now has a target on its back – and the Bears know it. Everyone will be gunning to take them down game in and game out, and the Bears must respond to the challenge and elevate their play, because their opponents will.
“Every team will come to play and attempt to knock us off. We are looking to develop and get better each and every game and hope to be in a position to compete for the section title once again this year,” Wylde said.
That’s a very real possibility for E-town based on its roster. But Section Two is extremely tough and nothing is a guarantee. The Bears played very well down the stretch last year, winning 13 of its final 16 games after a slow 1-2 start.
Expect another 13-15 win season for the Bears and for them to be right in the mix to repeat as section champions this season. If they can get to the league and district playoffs again this year, the Bears will certainly remember what it was like a year ago and will look to correct their mistakes and advance deeper there.