GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team begins its 2024 campaign this upcoming weekend with a road trip to South Carolina. The Pioneers will take part in the USC Beaufort Tournament on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 2-3).
Going into her 12th year as the Pioneer head coach, Julie Huebner has the 300-win milestone in sight. Sitting at 267 victories, the second-winningest mentor in program history has a roster built of 11 returners, six transfers, and four freshmen.
After its opening weekend at Beaufort, Tusculum returns home for nine-straight contests at Red Edmonds Field with Concord (Feb. 6) serving as the first foe. The South Atlantic Conference action begins on March 5 versus newcomer Emory & Henry in Greeneville.
The South Atlantic Conference Tournament has been revamped for 2024, replicating the NCAA Division II Regional format. The event will be played over two weekends (Apr. 26-28, May 3-4). The top eight seeds shall qualify for the postseason event. Hosts for the first weekend are the two highest seeds in a double-elimination layout, with the victors advancing to a best-of-three series the next week.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tusculum begins its 2024 campaign at the two-day (Feb. 2-3) USC Beaufort Tournament, a round robin-style event featuring the Pioneers, Sand Sharks, and the Erskine Flying Fleet.
Led by USA Softball Hall of Famer Alleen Hawkins, who enters her 23rd season as the helm of the Erskine program, the Fleet tallied an even 20-20 season (9-11 Conference Carolinas) in 2023. Tusculum and Erskine have not squared off since the abbreviated 2020 season, with the Pioneers winning the extra-inning affair to extend their series lead to 12-3.
USCB is in its second year of the NCAA membership process as it transitions from the NAIA. This tournament will mark the first time the Pioneers have faced the Sand Sharks, who went 15-45 in 2023.
STREAMING
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
By following this link (flosports.tv/sac), SAC fans can sign up for an annual subscription to FloSports at a reduced rate. Also, anyone who subscribes to the video service using a SAC member or associate member institution domain (.edu) e-mail address will be eligible for an even greater discount.
MEET THE TEAM
For the 44th team in recorded history, the Pioneers have 21 players rostered. Picked to finish 10th in the SAC, Tusculum had three members named to the league preseason team: Sammy Jimenez, Emily Sappington, and Claire Smeltzer.
INFIELD
The Pioneers have six infielders listed on the roster, with five having at least one year of college ball under their belt.
Alyssa Barbrick has spent the last two seasons at East Georgia State, where she was a team captain in 2023. The third baseman totaled 66 hits, 17 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 45 RBI, 42 runs, 11 walks, and four sacrifice bunts across 77 games for the Bobcats.
Caylen Conrad (Berea, Ky.) is listed as third baseman/utility after playing two rounds at Volunteer State. She averaged .324 at the plate, .405 on-base percentage, and slugged .533. Conrad notched 55 hits across 83 games for the junior college Pioneers, with seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 46 RBI, 17 walks, and eight steals.
One of two returners in the category, Riley Hope is also labeled as a first baseman. The nearby Chuckey native saw limited action in her first year at Tusculum. In 13 games, Hope tallied three hits (two doubles), scored a run, and drove in a teammate.
Gabi Nicholson (Ashland City, Tenn.) spent two years at the State College of Florida. Through 80 games for the Manatees, she recorded 46 hits (14 doubles), four homers, 39 RBI, 13 walks, and nine steals. Nicholson also averaged a .920 fielding percentage in the dirt.
Zoe Wills (Coal City, Ill.) has increased her playing time each season at Tusculum. The senior collected her first collegiate hit last season (a double).
The lone newbie to the dirt is Faith Gibbs. Listed as a first baseman, the in-state Collierville product graduated from Houston High School in Germantown. Gibbs was a four-year team captain. She was named defensive player of the year and second team all-metro as a junior.
OUTFIELD
The grass will be patrolled by a trio of Pioneers, led by preseason all-conference pick Claire Smeltzer.
Smeltzer, a Smithfield, Virginia resident, played in 47-of-49 games for Tusculum in her junior campaign. The left fielder led the Pioneers with a .371 average at the plate, collecting 59 hits, 15 doubles, a triple, and the first seven homers of her TU career. She drove in a team-leading 41 runners, alongside 10 free-passes, and went a perfect 6-for-6 in steals. Smeltzer is ranked in the top-15 in program history in career batting average (.326), while her 2023 marks in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and total bases (97) are all listed on the leader page.
Kylie Darrow (Jackson, Mo.) was part of the right field rotation in 2023. Seeing action in 22 games as a freshman, the slapper recorded six hits, with four runs, five walks, three runs batted in, and one stolen base. Defensively, Darrow was a perfect 12-for-12 in catches.
2023 was a breakout year for Maddie McBride (Mint Hill, N.C.). Having only drawn a walk over her first two seasons, she exploded for 18 hits, two doubles, four homers, 14 RBI, 12 runs, six walks, and three steals across 83 at bats in 42 contests. McBride also did the dirty work, reaching base via eight hit by pitches. In the grass, she finished with 44 catches and a pair of outfield assists.
CATCHER
Huebner has a pair of catchers to choose from, both of whom are familiar to Pioneer fans.
Sammy Jimenez, a native of Barlett, Illinois, spent the majority of her freshman season as the primary third baseman for the Pioneers, but will be returning to her listed position of catcher in year two. Appearing in all 49 games for TU, Jimenez recorded 51 hits on a .367 batting average, notching six doubles, a team-best six triples, and six home runs. She also contributed 39 RBI, 16 walks, and five sacrifice bunts. Her three-bagger total ranked in the program's top-10 for a single season and put her on pace to take over the career record, set back in the mid 1990s.
Madison Watts (Corryton, Tenn.) made use of her time in 2023 as the back up backstop. As a sophomore, she averaged .299 in the batter's box with 23 hits, including two doubles and one homer. Watts recorded six free-passes and seven runs driven in. Defensively, she caught four runners stealing with 61 putouts and five assists from behind the plate.
UTILITY
Five Pioneers have the ability to rotate between any position in the Tusculum lineup, ranging from experience in the infield, outfield, and pitching circle.
Ellie Alvarez earned reps at second base for Division I Bellarmine as a freshman, with 19-of-25 appearances being starts, including opening day. The Plano, Illinois native notched five hits with two walks and was hit by four pitches. Alvarez also added three steals, while averaging a solid .943 fielding clip.
Entering year three for Tusculum, Makayla Bush (Columbia, S.C.) has seen work as a pinch runner, pitcher, second baseman, and right fielder. Most of 2023 was in the circle or on the basepath for Bush. She scored three runs and stole a bag as a speedster. Bush appeared in eight contests as the hurler, including her first career start. She recorded 13 strikeouts in 15.2 frames and was errorless in seven chances.
Abby Hunter (Winston-Salem, N.C.) joins the versatiles as a freshman after graduating from West Forsyth High School. The dual sport athlete lettered in softball and basketball, earning conference and district honors on both the field and hardwood. Hunter earned team MVP honors in 2022, claiming the Toughness Award twice in her career.
Danielle Jason has spent three years at the NCAA Division I level, splitting time between Robert Morris and Morgan State. The Olyphant, Pennsylvania native has played a combined 91 contests with 71 starts, scoring 35 runs and stealing 21 bases. Jason has her Mid Valley High School jersey retired.
The final utility player, Brooke Smith, has softball in her DNA. Her mother was a member of two Olympic teams and a collegiate national championship run. Hailing from Acworth, Georgia, Smith lettered in both softball and swimming, where she was a two-time MVP and offensive player of the year. Smith was also a three-time first team all-region selection as she finished with a .476 average on 143 hits, 121 runs, and 93 steals.
PITCHERS
Huebner returns her core three for one final go-round. Alongside Bush, Ireland Cavanaugh, Keylon Reynolds, and Emily Sappington threw every pitch for Tusculum in 2023. Under the defensive guidance of assistant coach Eric Krenz, the Pioneer pitchers were not held liable for an error during the entire campaign.
Cavanaugh was the typical game-two starter as a junior. The right-hander from Columbus, Georgia had career highs with 25 appearances, 20 starts, and 122.1 innings pitched in 2023. Cavanaugh went 10-9 with seven complete games, striking out 74 batters to 33 walks on a 3.83 ERA. She swung the bat a few times as well to help the cause, collecting three hits (two doubles), three walks, three runs scored, and one RBI.
Keylon Reynolds also had a career high in workload, primarily as a reliever. The in-state Kingston product appeared in 25 contests with nine starts, going 3-4 with one save. With help from two complete games. Reynolds tossed 62 innings, striking out a collegiate-best 48 on a 4.06 earned run rate.
Sappington, hailing from Ashburn, Virginia, is a dual threat coming back to Tusculum for one more round. As a lefty pitcher, she appeared in 28 contests (19 starts), going 11-11 with three saves across 116 innings, including 13 complete games. Sappington tallied a 3.20 earned run average with a career-best 8.09 strikeouts per seven innings rate. In total, she struck out 134 opponents and walked 41. At the plate, Sappington saw action in 37 games with 24 hits on a .312 average. She drove in 17 runners, walked nine times, laid down two sacrifice bunts, and was credited with three sacrifice flies. Sappington's name is scattered throughout the program record, as she owns both the career strikeout and save marks. She also ranks in the top-15 in batting average, on-base percentage, sacrifice flies, ERA, wins, appearances, starts, complete games, shutouts, and innings pitched.
Joining the TU veterans are freshman Natalie Spaitis and transfer Nyah Vogel.
Spaitis (Schaumburg, Ill.) was a three-time team MVP for James B. Conant High School. In her senior year alone, the right-hander was named second team all-state, league player of the year, and all-area. In just three seasons (one canceled due to the pandemic), Spaitis tossed 583 strikeouts.
Vogel joins the Pioneers after spending the last two seasons at Lee University. The Apopka, Florida native did not see game action in 2023, but had a stellar sophomore year. Vogel went 14-8 across 26 starts with 17 complete games. She tossed 150.2 innings with four shutouts on a 2.88 ERA, striking out 83 to 39 walks. As a freshman, the right-hander appeared in eight games for Division I USC Upstate with a 2-4 record. Vogel finished with 17 strikeouts to eight walks across 29.1 frames.
