ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team is looking to build on the success it found in the 2017 season with a strong core of juniors and seniors as it prepares to kick off the 2018 season. CSB starts 2018 at 5 p.m. Saturday with a nonconference doubleheader against Crown at the St. Cloud State Dome.
CSB posted a 27-13 overall record last season, the team's best since 2014 when it posted a 28-11 record. The team's 27 wins marked the fifth season that head coach
Rachael Click had led her team to 20 wins in a season. A record six CSB players earned All-MIAC distinctions, and the team earned its first trip to the MIAC Tournament since the 2014 season.
Saint Benedict got off to a hot start in 2017, including a 10-2 record and a 4-3 win over No. 21 Manhattanville on its annual spring break trip to Clermont, Fla. Upon returning from Florida, Saint Benedict started MIAC play with five straight sweeps to go 10-0. Win No. 10 came in eight innings thanks to a walkoff RBI single by
Sara Wennerstrand to push CSB's record to 21-5 overall.
After beating the Auggies, CSB made its debut in the NFCA Division III Coaches Poll at No. 24. That marked the first time in recent memory Saint Benedict has been mentioned in the poll. A week later, CSB was mentioned in the "Others Receiving Votes" section of the poll before dropping out.
In Click's sixth season at the helm, she returns all six of her All-MIAC honorees, and looks to improve upon their 16-6 MIAC record from a year ago, and return to the postseason.
Saint Benedict kicks of its 2018 season this Saturday, Feb. 17 when they play a double-headers against Crown College at the Husky Dome on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The team will then travel to Rochester to play a pair of games on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 in the RCTC Dome. The team will open play on their new turf stadium on April 7 against St. Thomas. The new fields feature turf infield and outfield, as well as state-of-the-art dugouts and locker rooms.
A strong group of juniors and seniors are looking to lead CSB to their strongest season recently, headed up by senior Sarah Wennerstrand who was named to the NFCA Player to Watch list for the 2018 season. Coaches will be looking at Wennerstrand after she had a .400 batting average, three home-runs and .952 fielding percentage. Wennerstrand also earned NFCA All-Region First Team honors and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
Wennerstrand earned All-MIAC first team honors along with classmate
Megan Toninato and juniors
Kate Deming and
Emilie Antony. Senior Kiela DeValeminck and
Claire Boatman both earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors. Antony, Deming, and
Karlee Pfaff were also named to the NFCA All-Region Second Team.
Deming set the CSB school record for runs in a season with 50 in her sophomore season, and set the school record of 29 stolen bases as well. Toninato returns to the diamond for her senior season after posting 37 runs, 16 RBIs, and a .430 on base percentage in 2017. Antony hopes to build off her 35 runs, 3 homers, and team-leading 44 RBIs. Boatman posted a .320 batting average, 18 runs, and a .952 fielding percentage.
DeValeminick returns to the mound for CSB after posting an impressive 9-3 record in her junior season, where she pitched 88.2 innings for Saint Benedict. Also returning to the mound for CSB is senior
Cassie Meyer, who posted a 8-6 record in her 14 starts, pitching 68.2 innings.
After playing at the Rochester Dome, CSB travels to Tucson, Ariz., for 10 games over spring break. CSB opens MIAC play on April 4 with a match against rival St. Kate's in St. Paul.
