GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team kicks off its latest campaign this upcoming weekend with a road trip to South Carolina. The Pioneers are set to face USC Aiken on Saturday (Feb. 5) and Claflin on Sunday (Feb. 6) to open the 2022 season.
Going into year 10, Julie Huebner is the program's winningest softball mentor in its NCAA history. In 2021 alone, she surpassed 200 coaching victories, won the first SAC Tournament championship, and earned a berth to the Division II regionals, also a first for the program.
Following the series in South Carolina, Tusculum will host three straight series at J.C. Red Edmonds Field. The Pioneers' South Atlantic Conference slate begins at Wingate on March 5, with the first home tilt scheduled for the 12th versus Lenoir-Rhyne.
The 2022 SAC Softball Championship will be hosted by Lincoln Memorial at the Dorothy Neely Softball Complex. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will be held Apr. 29-30 in Harrogate, Tennessee.
LOOKING AHEAD
USC Aiken (0-0) and the Pioneers have not squared off in Huebner's time as Tusculum's head coach, last playing in 2012. The Pacers went 6-14 last season, finishing ninth in the Peach Belt Conference, while only facing PBC foes. In 10 previous meetings, USC Aiken holds an 8-2 advantage over the Pioneers. Shortstop Brianna Dow is the Pacers' best returning bat with a .348 average in 16-of-20 games played. The only pitcher from last season still on the roster is Rebekah Cook. She went 3-4 across 46.1 innings and nine appearances. She struck out nine, walked 17, and allowed 31 earned runs to cross the plate.
Claflin (0-0) is the next stop in TU's Palmetto State swing. The Panthers also competed only within their conference (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association), finishing the regular season 8-1. By virtue of winning the CIAA, Claflin was the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA II Atlantic Regionals, but lost its two postseason contests. Tusculum has won all four games in the series history with the Panthers by an impressive margin of 43-9. Jaelyn Jackson was the star for Claflin last season, both in the batter's box and the circle. She hit .515 with a slugging percentage of .939, tallying 17 hits and 16 RBI. As a pitcher, Jackson went 3-1 on a 0.72 ERA across five appearances and 19.1 innings. She only allowed two runs and six walks to 21 strikeouts.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
MEET THE TEAM
Huebner's 2022 roster includes four transfers and four freshmen, while retaining 17 from last season's championship squad.
INFIELD
The Pioneers have six infielders listed on the roster, five of which rolled over from last season.
Hannah Hughes, a 5-11 senior from in-state Baxter, appeared in 11 games with seven starts. She finished with one hit, one walk, one run scored, one hit by pitch, and one sacrifice bunt in her 21 at bats. Hughes also aided in two double plays and is credited with 32 putouts and 10 assists. In the classroom, she earned Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award as a business administration major.
Hayley Lazo, a 5-7 junior hailing from Port Orange, Florida, played in 37 games with 35 starts, which were all at first base. She averaged .265 at the plate, had an on-base percentage of .333, and slugged .469. Lazo totaled 26 hits (nine for extra bases), 17 runs, 17 runs batted in, and six walks. Lazo's home run knack kicked in during the latter part of the season, especially at Queens. She tied the program mark for homers in a game with three, including her first collegiate knock. Her final blast helped to send the regular season finale to extras as the Pioneers salvaged a split. Lazo also holds the TU record for highest career fielding percentage with a .992 rate. The political science/criminal justice major collected both the Easton/NFCA and D2 ADA academic honors.
Kiley Longmire, a 5-2 senior from Knoxville, started all 40 games in which she played at third base. During her first season as a Pioneer, she notched a .237/.328/.339 slashline with 28 hits, a team-best 12 doubles, 17 runs scored, 13 RBI, and 10 walks. Longmire was hit by a team-high six pitches as well. Her eight assists in the field at Mars Hill is tied for the second-most in program history. The sport science major earned Easton/NFCA and D2 ADA laurel for her academic performance.
A 5-3 sophomore from Mantua, Ohio, Angela Masiello saw action in 20 games, primarily as a pinch runner, and scored seven runs. The human behavioral psychology major also earned All-America Scholar-Athlete honors from Easton/NFCA.
Zoe Wills, a 5-4 Coal City, Illinois native, played third base in one contest during her freshman season, game two versus nationally-ranked Lincoln Memorial. She is majoring in sport science.
The only new face among the infield crowd is Emma Schaad. A native of nearby Knoxville, Schaad is listed as first base/utility and is 5-6 tall. At Knoxville Catholic High School, she was a three-time district honoree and competed for the West team in the Rocky Top Border War game as a senior. Schaad also racked up Best Offense and most valuable player as a sophomore. During her three years competing for the Fighting Irish, she maintained a .400+ batting average, slugged .544 or better, and improved her fielding percentage every season.
OUTFIELD
Half of TU's preseason all-conference honorees reside in the outfield. Anna Alloway defended the right side, while Mya Maddox patrolled center. All seven outfielders on Huebner's roster have spent at least one year at the collegiate level.
Alloway, a 5-2 native of in-state Louisville, started all 42 games for TU in 2021. She led the Pioneers in batting average (.381), on-base percentage (.406), hits (59), and total bases (90). Alloway had 17 multi-hit games and seven with more than one runner batted in. She registered a hit in 30 games, a run in 20, and at least one RBI in 18. The right-hander collected SAC All-Conference honorable mention, SAC All-Tournament Team, and an all-region honor from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Alloway ranks in the top-10 across eight career categories in the program record book.
In the classroom, Alloway earned numerous honors, including SAC Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year, Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award, and CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. She graduated from Tusculum in December and is enrolled in the education graduate program.
Maddox, from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was a fixture in center field at 5-2, earning all 42 starts in the middle outfield. A slapper in the batter's box and known for her speed, she stole 19 bases, notched a pair of triples, and laid down eight sacrifice bunts. Maddox was tied for the second-most walks on the team (12), racked up the third-most runs (27), and added the fourth-most hits (37). She also tied the program record with four runs scored in a game in the SAC quarterfinal upset over Catawba. Maddox was perfect in the field in 70 total chances. The senior psychology major is credited with 67 putouts and three assists.
Hailing from Knoxville, 5-5 Ashley Harbison played in six games for the Pioneers in 2021, mainly as a pinch runner. The now-junior left-hander is credited with two at bats, including a run-scoring single versus Queens. The biology/pre-med major earned a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award for her scholastic efforts.
Maddie McBride (5-7; Mint Hill, N.C.) and Julia Zelinski (5-4; Oak Forest, Ill.) did not play their freshman season, but both earned Easton/NFCA academic honors as sport science and history education (6-12) majors, respectively.
Madison McGinnis (Knoxville, Tenn.) did see limited action as a freshman, primarily as a pinch runner in seven games. The 5-4 sport science major scored once and stole a base.
Kallyn Newport is the lone non-returner in the outfield grass. The 5-8 Seymour, Tennessee native comes to Tusculum by way of Walters State. At the junior college, the elementary education major collected a career .375 batting average, .421 on-base percentage, .586 slugging percentage, and .989 fielding percentage across 101 games. Newport tallied 116 hits, 79 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 25 walks, 14 steals, one sacrifice fly, and five sacrifice bunts in 309 at bats. She was credited with 142 putouts and 46 assists in the field.
CATCHER
Huebner has depth behind the plate, highlighted by Chloe Freischmidt's preseason nod. Two returners (Hailey Berglof and Kaylee Higgins) and one freshman (Madison Watts) back up the backstop.
Hailing from Naples, Florida, Freischmidt was the starting catcher in all 40 games in which she played. Also named to the SAC All-Tournament Team, the 5-6 now-senior was second on the Pioneers with 34 RBI and eight home runs. Additionally, she was third in batting average (.307), hits (39), slugging percentage (.551), total bases (70), and extra-base hits (15). The chemistry/computer science major threw out five runners attempting to steal. In the program record book, Freischmidt is seventh in career slugging percentage (.559), tied 10th in home runs (12), and tied for 11th in fielding percentage (.979) behind the plate.
Berglof, of Maryville, Tennessee, spent her sophomore season as a bullpen catcher for the Pioneers. The 5-5 English education (6-12) major collected Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award laurels.
Higgins, the 5-3 Rocky Face, Georgia native, also spent time in the TU bullpen as a freshman. She appeared in six games, including getting the doubleheader start versus nationally-ranked LMU. The sport management major finished the season with one hit, one run scored, one RBI, one steal, and one sacrifice bunt in five at bats. Higgins was perfect in the field, collecting 12 putouts.
Watts, a 5-4 resident of in-state Corryton, graduated from Gibbs High School. She was a three-time district champion and back-to-back region title winner. Watts hit over .250 for her career and was perfect defensively in two seasons. She was a two-time member of the All-Academic Team and is majoring in biology/pre-medicine at Tusculum.
UTILITY
Three Pioneers will rotate among various positions in the Tusculum lineup, with the capability of starting in both the infield and outfield, along with designated player. Only one has suited up for the Black and Orange, but the other two have impressive resumes.
From Smithfield, Virginia, Claire Smeltzer appeared in 40 games, all starts, primarily in the outfield. The 5-8 lefty recorded 37 hits with nine doubles, 14 RBI, 12 walks, 11 runs scored, and three sacrifice bunts. She averaged .316 in the box, .389 on the base path, and .393 slugging. Smeltzer had 51 putouts and three assists in left field, including catching the final out of the SAC title game. She was named to the SAC All-Tournament Team as well. The nursing major was an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in the classroom.
Katelynn Hodges, from Blairsville, Georgia, comes to TU after three seasons at Young Harris. She played in 91 games (67 starts) for the Mountain Lions and holds a career batting average of .271, .328 slugging percentage, .350 on-base percentage, and .976 fielding percentage. Hodges totaled 52 hits, 37 runs, five doubles, two home runs, 28 RBI, 22 walks, hit by two pitches, one sacrifice fly, six sacrifice bunts, and eight steals in 192 at bats. She is credited with 110 putouts and 10 assists defensively. The 5-5 mathematics education (6-10) major collected a Peach Belt Conference Team of Academic Distinction honor during her time at YHC.
From nearby Jonesborough, Alyssa Suits graduated from David Crockett High School and was coached by Tusculum Hall of Famer Carla Weems. A tri-sport athlete, she lettered four years in softball and three in both soccer and basketball. On the diamond, Suits racked up two conference championships, a district championship, all-conference honors, Big 7 Player of the Year, NET top-16 selection, and MVP laurels. The 13 homers by the 5-4 special education major set the school's single-season record.
PITCHERS
Huebner has youthful experience in the circle this season. Four of the five throwers on staff have been tried and tested at the collegiate level. Emily Sappington joined her battery-mate Freischmidt on the SAC list after a consensus all-region campaign.
A 5-4 resident of Ashburn, Virginia, Sappington was the Pioneers' ace in 2021, highlighted by a pair of no-hitters. In addition, she earned SAC Tournament most valuable player, SAC All-Tournament Team, and SAC Pitcher of the Week on the field and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and D2 ADA academic honors in the classroom. Sappington started 21 games, tossed four shutouts, 15 complete games, and struck out 139 batters across 141 innings on a 2.38 earned-run average. The left-hander compiled a 12-9 record with two saves during her sophomore campaign.
A dual-threat both at the plate and in the circle, she was second-best for TU in batting average (.333), OBP (.402), and walks (12). Sappington also contributed 36 hits, seven doubles, 25 RBI, and a pair of homers.
Keylon Reynolds, of in-state Kingston, had 14 appearances in the circle (second-most on the team) as a freshman, including six starts. The 5-7 right-hander finished with a 2-2 mark across 37.1 innings, allowing 19 earned runs and 50 hits, but struck out 29. The biology/pre-medicine earned Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors and a TU Female Freshman of the Year Academic Award.
Only one pitcher on this season's staff has multiple years under her belt, 5-5 transfer Kendall Durard. Going into her fifth year at the collegiate level, the in-state Shelbyville native spent the past two stints at Tennessee Tech. The graduate student also attended Motlow State, where she used her arm and bat to do damage. Between her two stops, Durard has a combined 17-16 record with 174 strikeouts across 263.2 innings in the circle. In the batter's box, she notched 60 hits, including 15 for extra bases, 45 RBI, and 42 runs scored in 192 at bats.
Ireland Cavanaugh (Columbus, Ga.) joined Hodges in transferring from Young Harris. In her lone year as a Mountain Lion, she pitched in just four contests with two starts and one complete game. The 5-6 chemistry major went 1-1, allowing 11 hits, eight earned runs, six walks, and two strikeouts across 10 innings.
Makayla Bush is the youngest pitcher on the roster as a freshman. Hailing from Columbia, South Carolina, she graduated from A.C. Flora High School as a four-time all-region selection. Bush also collected two all-state nods, region pitcher and player of the year, all-star pick, and two MVP honors. The 5-5 biology/pre-medicine major is a member of the Nation Honor Society and earned academic all-star laurels.
