COLUMBUS, Ohio – It's been 346 days since Ohio Dominican softball last laced up their cleats to play in a competitive game, but this weekend, the wait ends. The Panthers head to Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, for a weekend series to battle the host Railsplitters and Davenport University Panthers.
About Ohio Dominican
Like so many other schools, the Black and Gold had their 2020 season end abruptly thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the calendar turned to 2021, head coach Marcella Vanlandingham and her squad have their sights set on capturing another G-MAC regular-season championship and continuing the momentum that was established in 2019.
ODU was picked to finish second in the 2021 Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour. The Black and Gold collected 104 points and two first-place votes in the poll and finished ten points shy of leader Trevecca Nazarene.
Senior Carson Hackerd (Frankfurt, Indiana) returns this season and was a top hitter for the Panthers. She hit for a .412 batting average in 18 games played and championed a Panther offense that hit for a .270 batting average last season.
Classmate Raemon Meents (Downers Grove, Illinois) returns for her final season and led the Black and Gold in extra-base hits during the 2020 season. She also had the top slugging percentage on the team hitting .588 during the season.
ODU returns the majority of its pitching staff that enjoyed a league-best 2.76 ERA last season. Junior Sydney Long (Ashland, Ohio) looks to shoulder a majority of the workload for her team. The Black and Gold pitcher lead the team with 57.2 innings pitched and had a 3.28 ERA. Long also led the pitching staff in complete games with six during the season.
She will be assisted by a trio of sophomores as Olivia Rettke (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), Olivia Schick (Delaware, Ohio), and Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Indiana) who will provide support out of the bullpen if needed.
SCOUTING LINCOLN MEMORIAL
The Railsplitters are enjoying a fast start in 2021. They have a 3-1 record and are coming off convincing victories against Lee University on February 10. Second basemen Ty-Kella Goins leads Lincoln Memorial in batting average, hitting .636 with three extra-base hits.
SCOUTING DAVENPORT
Like Ohio Dominican, the Davenport Panthers begin their season at Lincoln Memorial. DU begins a new campaign after going 7-10 in a pandemic shortened season. The Panthers never had the chance to play at home as they compiled a 6-1 record at neutral-site venues and were 1-9 away from their home state of Michigan.
Senior infielder Rachel Griffin returns to lead DU as she collected an impressive .392 batting average in 2020. Ellie Muilenburg returns to be the presumptive top pitcher for Davenport. She leads the Panthers in innings pitched with 50.2 and amassed an ERA of 2.35 for the season.
Ohio Dominican's season begins Saturday morning with the first pitch scheduled against Davenport at 11:00 a.m.
Contact: Ralph Schudel
schudelr@ohiodominican.edu
