ROSTER I SCHEDULE I 2018 STATS
CLERMONT, Fla. -- Point Park University softball gets its 2019 season under way this weekend for the start of its stay at The Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. The Pioneers will play 10 games in Florida from Feb. 23-28. Watch Live on FloSoftball for live video streaming coverage of all games in Florida.
Point Park's 13th-year head coach Michelle Coultas joined us for a preseason interview to talk about the 2019 squad. Watch the video at the link above. Coach Coultas talked about pitching being the strength of the team, what the Pioneers have been doing in the preseason and the outlook for the season.
POSITION BREAKDOWN -- RETURNERS
The Pioneers have 17 players on the roster this year with many of them being veterans. The team includes 12 returners and 11 upperclassmen (4 seniors, 7 juniors). The Pioneers return their entire pitching staff from a year ago with seniors Ashley Iagnemma and Tiffany Edwards and junior Katie Tarr combining to pitch every inning of 2018. All three are back to pose a formidable staff in the River States Conference.
Iagnemma begins her fourth year with the Pioneers boasting a career ERA of 2.46 and 376 career strikeouts in 359 innings. She has won 28 games her first three seasons. Edwards is in her third year at Point Park and is coming off a season with a 2.15 ERA. She pitched in a team-high 22 games with a team-high 12 relief appearances. Tarr racked up 120 strikeouts in 77.2 innings last year to go with a 7-3 record, three saves and a 1.89 ERA.
Point Park has four position starters returning from last year led by sophomore outfielder Maddie Horn and junior third baseman Amber Cook. Horn had a strong freshman season leading the Pioneers in batting average (.350) hits (36), runs (19) and on-base percentage (.427). Cook hit .248 last year with a team-high of 16 RBIs and is back for her third year as a starter.
Senior outfielder Shannon Davis and junior infielder Courtney Blocher are other returning starters. Davis started 33 games and hit .248 last year in the outfield. Blocher returns as the starter a second base coming off a season of a .236 average.
The Pioneers have veterans Delaney Baumis (C), Paula Ambrose (OF), Taylor Long (IF), Julia Hoon (IF) and Chandler Krelow (IF/C) also competing for time on the diamond. Edwards will also likely find her way into the batting order in addition to pitching.
POSITION BREAKDOWN -- NEWCOMERS
Point Park welcomes a group of five freshmen as the newcomers this year. Two of those are outfielders with Taylor Goldstrohm from West Allegheny High School and Carissa Scekeres from Latrobe High School.
Alicia Egner is a freshman shortstop from Fruitland, Idaho, slated to start for the Pioneers right away. Hailey Leitner is a catcher from Cornell High School looking to get a lot of time behind the plate. Courtney Shoemake, from Frostburg, Md., is a freshman pitcher adding youth to the staff.
FLORIDA TRIP
Point Park's 10 games in Florida begin with six straight contests versus Florida schools. The Pioneers play No. 22-ranked Southeastern (Fla.) for a doubleheader on Sat., Feb. 23, they face Ave Maria (Fla.) on Sun., Feb. 24 and Webber International (Fla.) on Mon., Feb. 25. After an off day, Point Park plays Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) on Wed., Feb. 27. They finish up on Thur., Feb. 28 versus Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) and the Czech Republic national team in a split doubleheader.
RIVER STATES CONFERENCE
The Pioneers were picked third of 10 teams in the RSC Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll. Point Park caught fire in the playoffs last year making it to the final three teams and just shy of an NAIA national bid. The Pioneers will play 18 conference games with a doubleheader versus each of the nine teams.
Point Park opens up RSC play March 15-16 at Brescia (Ky.) and IU Southeast, its second and third play dates after returning from Florida. The Pioneers play their first games up north on March 12 for the home openers versus Gannon.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Follow the Pioneers all season long at PointParkSports.com and on social media @PointParkSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The softball team will take control of the @PointParkSports feed on Instagram for a "takeover" to start the season on Feb. 23.
WATCH LIVE FROM FLORIDA
All games of The Spring Games will be streamed by FloSoftball. Subscribe online and find the Weekly Viewing Guide at the link below:
