WTAMU Softball returns to the field this spring with hopes of advancing further in post-season play than ever before. Coming off of their most successful season in team history, the Lady Buff softball team enters the 2010 season ranked 22nd in the nation according to the National Coaches Fastpitch Association .

This is the first season since the installment of the softball program in 2004 that the Lady Buffs have been ranked in the top 25 pre-season poll.

“I’ve been with this team since the second year the program was at WT,” senior catcher Dani Couger said.

“From then to now is completely different. I’m expecting us to win 50 games this season, and when I was a freshman, we only won 19. I see myself as a leader, and I want to lead this team to the championship that WT softball has never seen. Being a part of that would be the cap to my four years here.”

In the LSC South Division, the Lady Buffs ranked 3rd in the preseason poll under #1 Angelo State and #2 Abilene Christian. The Lady Buffs hope to exceed that ranking by taking first in the conference championship.

“This season we expect to win a conference championship and make it to the regional tournament, possibly even the national championship,” sophomore outfielder Kim LeComte said.

With 14 returnees, the Lady Buffs will enter the season with a high level of experience.

“Last year we got a lot of post-season experience with our younger kids, and we are returning 14 players,” Couger said. “With that experience, we see ourselves going into the post-season and getting a championship for WT.”

Couger returns to the field as a leader in fielding percentage with .995 with 10 assists and 211 put-outs in 2009. As catcher, Couger allowed 38 steals. She totaled 44 hits, 11 doubles, and four home runs to give her a batting average of .317.

“I’m a catcher, and I had a lot of people steal on me last year,” Couger said. “This year I want to exceed the expectations of my coach and my team and really improve on that statistic. Being a catcher, I am in a leadership position. It’s the quarterback of the field, and I want to be that leader that my team is looking for and needs to have a successful season.”

Stepping up to the plate this season will be homerun-leader LeComte. With 10 homeruns, 51 runs batted in, and 109 total bases, LeComte comes off of her freshman year heading the statistics.

“This season I hope to be a good leader for the younger girls and set a good example,” LeComte said. “I want to be the anchor for out outfield.”

Other leaders returning to the field include: sophomore pitcher Shelby Cockrell who completed last season with a 9-2 record, junior outfielder Kasey Henderson who topped the charts in hits (71), batting average (.410), runs (58), and stolen bases (22), and junior infielder Kaitlyn Witte who led the team in doubles (15), putouts (245), and fielding double plays (4).

New to Lady Buff Yard is sophomore pitcher Sarah Blair who transferred to WTAMU from Kansas State and made 14 appearances for the Jayhawks as a freshman last season. While at KU, Blair totaled 19 strikeouts in 34 innings played and compiled an ERA of 3.71.

The Lady Buffs will begin their season February 4-6 as they travel to San Antonio for the St. Mary’s Classic. They will face five teams before traveling to Austin on the 8th to play a double header against St. Edward’s.

“We will meet a lot of good opponents this year,” Couger said. “Over the last three years, we have challenged ourselves to be the best we can be against Angelo State. Any team we face this spring will be an important team. All 67 games are in-region games, so they count toward us making those post-season games. We can’t overlook any team.”

Lone Star Conference play begins on March 12, when the Lady Buffs visit Texas Woman’s University in Denton.