ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The 2016 season was a successful one for a young College of Saint Benedict softball team.
 
CSB – which had one senior and no juniors on its roster last season – went 22-18 overall, marking the fourth time in head coach Rachael Click's tenure the team had won 20 or more games. Two Saint Benedict earned all-region honors, three earned All-MIAC First Team, and the team wrapped up the year with an upset of No. 15 St. Kate's.
 
This year, however, CSB is looking for more.
 
In Click's fifth season at the helm, CSB – which returns all three of its all-conference picks and two honorable mention selections – the team looks move up in the conference standings and to get back to the MIAC postseason tournament for the first time since 2014. Saint Benedict finished the conference season 10-12 and in seventh place a year ago.
 
Saint Benedict kicks off its 2017 campaign this Sunday, Feb. 26, when it plays a pair of nonconference games at the Rochester Dome in Rochester, Minn. CSB plays UW-La Crosse at 6 p.m. and Martin Luther at 8 p.m.
 
Back to lead the way for Saint Benedict this season are a handful of juniors as well as several sophomores who saw plenty of playing time as first years in 2016. Juniors Sara Wennerstrand and Megan Toninato are back after earning All-MIAC First Team honors and All-Region Third Team accolades.
 
Wennerstrand tied the school record and finished second in the MIAC with 45 RBIs last season, and she finished fourth in the conference with 15 doubles. She recorded a .981 fielding percentage and split time at catcher, first base, third base and shortstop. Toninato, an outfielder who came up to play some first base last season, finished ninth in the MIAC with a .394 batting average and sixth in the league with 52 total hits.
 
Sophomore Kate Deming earned All-MIAC honors after her rookie season with the team. She set the school record with 146 at-bats, and finished the year second in the MIAC in runs scored (41) and 12^th with a .377 batting average. The outfielder went 21-for-23 on stolen bases.
 
Madison Mikolich and Emilie Antony are also back after earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention. Antony, an outfielder, had 31 hits and 15 RBIs and a .976 fielding percentage. Mikolich, who split time at catcher and third base, had three home runs and a .326 batting average.
 
Back on the mound for CSB are juniors Cassie Meyer and Kiela Devlaeminck. Meyer led the team with 49 strikeouts and picked up 10 wins on the mound, and DeVlaeminck had 44 strikeouts and won seven games. Joining the pitching rotation this season will be sophomore Kadee Vesledahl, a sophomore transfer from St. Cloud State, and first years Alex Smith and Jocelyn Metz.
 
After playing at the Rochester Dome, CSB travels to Clermont, Fla., for 12 games over spring break. Saint Benedict's first home game is scheduled for Sunday, April 2, against Saint Mary's.