Coyotes work for return to postseason play in 2022

Coyote softball returns this week with the first of three consecutive weekend tournaments. First stop is Huntsville, Texas, and Sam Houston State University where South Dakota will face five teams in three days. The season opener is 12:15 p.m. Friday against Houston Baptist.

It is season six for head coach Robert Wagner at USD and he begins four wins shy of 100 with the Coyotes. The program was one win away from an NCAA Tournament berth just three years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt halt to that momentum and the Coyotes have been working since to gain it back.

Several new faces will work into the lineup throughout the season, but veterans and all-Summit performers Lauren Eamiguel and Courtney Wilson are expected to be somewhere near the top. Eamiguel is a two-time first-teamer at shortstop who returns for her fifth season. She has a career .324 average with 10 home runs and 90 RBIs. Wilson has hit close to .350 over the last two campaigns and led last year’s squad with an OPS of .847.

The new faces start at the battery. First-year Clara Edwards is a 6-foot, right-handed pitcher and infielder from Clay Center, Kansas. In addition to dominating the diamond, she was first-team all-state on the hardwood. Edwards shined in four starts and six appearances during the fall season. The Coyotes also added catcher Bela Goerke, who last competed at Grand Canyon. USD surrendered 95 stolen bases in 106 attempts last year and Goerke has an arm that can improve upon those numbers.

“Clara is a competitor and an all-around athlete,” said Wagner. “She played softball, basketball and volleyball in high school. It wasn’t just her pitching that stood out when I watched her play. She has the ability to hit and is going to get an opportunity to do so. She can develop some serious power with her athleticism, size and competitive spirit.

“All of our catchers have worked tremendously hard during the offseason to improve their arm strength and the results are there. Bela might have the best arm on the team and she has a nice bat. We didn’t get to spend time with her last year, but we are excited about her potential.”

Fresh Look

Wagner has coached the Coyotes for 250 games. Camille Fowler was the starting center fielder in 207 of those and his leadoff hitter in 213. That’s a long way of saying a new era has begun.

Wilson and fellow senior Gabbi Holbert both have a pair of starts in center under their belt, and both will continue to be featured in the Coyote outfield, but Wagner also hinted at a pair of high school infielders who have taken reps in the outfield in sophomore Gabby Moser and freshman Rylee Nicholson. The latter, Nicholson, was also an elite soccer player growing up in Texas.

“Offensively and to some extent defensively, those two in the outfield is the best fit for the team right now,” said Wagner. “They spent the first month or two in the fall adding depth to our infield, and we’re a little thin there numbers wise.”

Moser hit .571 with two homers and 13 RBIs in eight fall games – by far the top offensive numbers on the team – so working her into a position is imperative. She mostly served as the designated player in 2021. Wagner sees Nicholson somewhere in the middle of the lineup and is encouraged by the prospects there.

Sophomore Makayla Tsagalis started 18 games in right field last season and was batting .379 in the middle of March before being hampered by injury. Junior Charis Black earned playing time last year as well.

Offense for the Defense

The Coyotes know they need to do just about everything better this year to achieve their goals, and that includes a better approach at the plate. The team hit .244 with 11 home runs and 238 strikeouts vs. 124 walks in 51 games. Finding production at the plate will go a long ways in determining where the pieces fit defensively.

First base is a prime example. Senior Jadyn DeWitte is the veteran there and is coming off her best season where she hit .252 with three home runs, five doubles and a triple. Junior Jordyn Pender has taken a majority of her reps at first this offseason and is looking to regain the form that produced a season-best .370 average before COVID-19 stopped her and the team in 2020. It could be a position for Edwards to get some swings in as well when she’s not pitching.

“Versatility within our team is certainly a strength, but more than that, we’re just trying to develop some depth,” said Wagner. “With the times that we are in and the natural rigors of our sport, we can’t go into the season with four infielders. Having players who can work in and out of positions throughout the lineup is helpful because we just don’t know what’s going to happen throughout the year.”

More certain is freshman Tatum Villotta at second base, Eamiguel at short and junior Aleesia Sainz at third. Once healthy, another freshman, Grace Hamling, will work into the infield as well.

“We have to do a better job of pitch selection and getting good pitches to hit,” said Wagner. “We’ve worked hard on timing and technique and the hope is that all of those things lead to more production and power numbers. And that’s not necessarily home runs, but doubles are awesome and situational hitting is a must if we’re going to take advantage of what the other teams give us.”

Full Circle

Any team making a run for a title needs pitching. To that extent, the Coyotes were granted a second assistant coach and added Chelsea Qualls to work more closely with the staff. Returners looking to earn starts include Peyton Maher, Grace Garcia, Holly Fletcher and Macy Schroedermeier. Maher started 12 games last year, Fletcher six and Garcia one. Fletcher tossed a team-high 27 innings in the fall and was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA. Kynlee Marquez, another versatile player from Oxford, Nebraska, also saw time in the circle.

“Overall, I like this group and I like this team and I think we can get back to where we were in 2019 and perhaps further,” said Wagner. “Recruiting has come full circle and we’ve laid some foundations in the Midwest and have players excited to be here. I’m excited to get started with these gals. We want to be the first team in the history of USD softball to win a championship, and we are ready to take those first steps.”