In the offseason, the Hornets softball squad had a stark change happen as April Rosales switched from being the head coach of the softball team to being an associate athletic director for internal operations and senior woman administrator. Megan Hill has taken over the reins as the new head coach, and her era began with the team going 4-1 to start the year.
The season began with a doubleheader against Lewis and East Central, with the Lewis game being first. Lewis began the game driving in a run on an infield single as freshman pitcher Hannah Butterbaugh got the start for the Hornets. She got out of the inning before more damage was done, and both teams had a quiet second inning.
The Hornets got on the board in the third with a four-run inning powered by a two-RBI single from junior Brooke Flewelling and a two-run home run from junior Avery Brewer to give the Hornets a lead they would not surrender. After four innings, Butterbaugh exited the game, and junior Izzy Sloan took over on the mound to close out the game.
Senior Addyson Easter tacked on the fifth and final run for the Hornets in the sixth inning on a ground rule double to give the Hornets a 5-2 victory over Lewis. Butterbaugh earned her first career win in her first start in college, and Flewelling and Brewer’s two-RBI games were enough to power the Hornets to a win.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Hornets faced East Central, and it was an easier game for them. Sophomore Chloe Wilson tossed a six-inning complete-game shutout while the offense put up eight runs. Butterbaugh, in the second inning, got the Hornet offense going with an RBI single, then scored the second run later by stealing home base and succeeding. That sparked the offense to score three more runs in the inning as they took a 5-0 lead after the second inning.
They added three more runs in the sixth inning as Flewelling hit a solo home run, East Central gave up another run on a wild pitch, and they walked in the final run. Flewelling went 2-for-4 in the game with two RBIs, and junior Elina Bartlett went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. After a 2-0 start to the season, the team faced off against the Colorado School of Mines.
In what would be a shortened game, the Hornets came out of the gates firing as they put together a six-run first inning. It started with an RBI single from Flewelling, followed by a two-run home run by junior Karli Wehunt, then Bartlett walked in a run, and finally, two errors from the Colorado School of Mines defense allowed two more runs to score.
That inning set the tone for the Hornets as they added four more runs to run-rule the Orediggers 10-1. Sophomore Brynley Smith smacked a home run in the win, and freshman Maci Hayes picked up the win after three and two-thirds innings of work as Butterbaugh closed out the game at the end. The Hornets moved to 3-0 and looked to stay undefeated when they faced Eastern New Mexico.
Against Eastern New Mexico, Sloan got the nod to start in the circle and put together a good outing. The Hornet offense, once again, got out to a good start with junior Ally Miller walking in a run in the first inning. Miller, in the third inning, tacked on a two-RBI single to extend the Hornet lead to 3-0. The sixth inning would be the last inning the Hornets scored, but they added four runs on a three-run home run from Flewelling and a solo shot from Brewer. After Sloan threw three innings, Butterbaugh came in to finish the game, throwing four innings and earning another win.
The Hornets then faced Southern Arkansas to close out the Lone Star Classic. Chloe Wilson started in the circle for the Hornets in their lowest scoring affair of the early season. Southern Arkansas opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single, while the Hornet offense was stymied by the pitching. The Muleriders added an insurance run in the fourth inning, and it was enough to take the win as the Hornets added a run on a Flewelling home run in the seventh inning.
Wilson went four innings in the outing and kept the Hornets in the game, but the offense could not muster enough runs to win it. Flewelling hit another home run to start her campaign as she is up to three to start the season, while also hitting .588.
The Hornets began the Megan Hill era going 4-1 to start the season and look to continue the good play when they travel to Bentonville, Ark., for the Alva Early Memorial Classic on Jan. 6. The Hornets will play six games at the tournament and look to continue a strong start to the season.