HARROGATE, Tenn. – Here is a comprehensive preview of the upcoming 2016 Lincoln Memorial University softball season, featuring an interview with head coach
Natalie Layden, a 2015 recap and a glimpse at the returning and new players for the 2016 team.
2015 Review The Lady Railsplitters' 2015 season can be separated into two distinctly different halves.
Lincoln Memorial won five of the first seven games of the year, but hit a lull once South Atlantic Conference play began. After being swept by eventual SAC regular-season champions Carson-Newman, the Lady Railsplitters fell to 3-7 in league play and 12-18 overall.
But that's when the season turned, as the Lady Railsplitters ripped off eight straight wins and won eight of their last 12 SAC games to finish in seventh place in the league standings and earn a spot in the SAC Championship field. That closing stretch included a doubleheader sweep of eventual SAC tournament champion Catawba.
Lincoln Memorial made the most of that postseason opportunity and kicked off the SAC tournament with a bang, as
Samantha Smith (Knoxville, Tenn.) tossed a no-hitter in an 8-0 five-inning win over second-seeded Anderson. After that dramatic win, the Lady Railsplitters were defeated by Catawba 3-1, but they bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Wingate to advance to Saturday. Unfortunately, that's where LMU's run ended with a 3-2 loss to Anderson, who eliminated the Lady Railsplitters on a walk-off, two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.
All told, the Lady Railsplitters completed the 2015 campaign with a 24-24 overall record and an 11-11 mark in SAC play.
Stat Crunch The Lady Railsplitters ranked in the bottom third of the South Atlantic Conference in the significant offensive categories last season, finishing 11th in batting average with a .255 mark, 10th in slugging percentage at .367, 11th in on-base percentage at .316 and 10th in scoring with 3.65 runs per game. However, those numbers mostly reflected a misstep in March, when Lincoln Memorial hit .229 and scored just 48 runs in 16 games. The Lady Railsplitters showed some encouraging signs on the offensive end in the last month of the season, though, batting .268 with 80 runs in 20 games in April.
The Lady Railsplitters turned in the seventh-best earned run average in the conference last season with a cumulative 3.56 mark, but once again that figure was inflated by a 4.19 ERA in March. Lincoln Memorial's staff was markedly better in April, posting a 3.13 earned run average with 86 strikeouts in 134 innings.
The Lady Railsplitters were one of the better fielding teams in the league last season, ranking third in the SAC and 37th in the nation with a .967 fielding percentage. Lincoln Memorial committed just 48 errors in 1,476 total chances, the fourth-most in the league.
Dorothy Neely Field was good to the Lady Railsplitters in 2015, as they hit .291 and scored 68 runs over the course of 15 games as opposed to a .219 average with 59 runs scored in 18 road games.
The Lady Railsplitters also wreaked havoc on the base paths, leading the SAC with 21 stolen bases in conference play. Over the entire season, Lincoln Memorial produced 41 stolen bases, which ranked third in the SAC.
Who's Gone? The Lady Railsplitters graduated four of their top seven hitters from the 2015 team in terms of total at-bats, including three-time All-SAC designated player
Amanda Snow.
Snow led Lincoln Memorial last season with a .584 slugging percentage, eight home runs, 37 RBIs and 20 walks, which she coupled with a .304 batting average and 11 doubles. Snow blasted the third-most home runs in school history over the course of her four-year career at LMU with 33 round trippers.
Stalwart outfielder
Emilee Solomon also exhausted her eligibility after leading the Lady Railsplitters with 53 hits and a .314 batting average as a senior. Solomon - who is now serving as the program's graduate assistant coach - added 10 doubles, two home runs and 10 stolen bases to her 2015 stat ledger.
Four-year letterwinner
Kelly Dreier hit .260 during her senior season with three doubles and a team-leading 12 RBIs while finishing second on the team with 150 total at-bats.
And finally,
Megan Tice completed her two-year tenure in the Blue and Gray by hitting .254 with five doubles, four home runs and 20 RBIs last season.
As a group, that quartet combined for 159 hits, 29 doubles, 14 home runs and 84 RBIs last season.
Who's Back? Starting pitcher
Samantha Smith and preseason All-SAC selection
Meredith Johnson (Kenly, N.C.) headline the list of returners for the Lady Railsplitters this season.
A 2015 SAC Championship All-Tournament team pick, Smith made 35 appearances and 26 starts for the Lady Railsplitters last season, compiling a 12-12 record, a 3.03 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 175.1 innings. A workhorse since her arrival on campus, Smith enters her final season in the Blue and Gray ranked fifth in program history in career wins (47), innings pitched (564.2) and strikeouts (299). She needs 19 wins to match Nicki Miller and Brittney Walker for the all-time record for wins in school history.
Johnson, meanwhile, hit .301 with eight doubles, six home runs, 25 RBIs and a .483 slugging percentage last season. The junior designated player/first baseman had nine multi-hit games as a sophomore, including three three-hit performances. She was voted to the preseason All-SAC second team by the league's coaches.
Middle infielder
Jennifer Moose (Statesville, N.C.) is back for her third season for the Lady Railsplitters after posting a .258 batting average with five doubles, two home runs, 17 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 2015. The Statesville, N.C. native also provided stellar defense up the middle of the field with a .967 fielding percentage on 181 chances.
The middle of the field will also be bolstered by the return of sophomore catcher
Savannah Couch (Colonial Heights, Va.) and sophomore centerfielder
Ashlea Hunter (Woodruff, S.C.). Hunter produced 29 hits, six doubles, a home run and six stolen bases in her debut season, while Couch contributed a pair of double and a home run in 72 official at-bats as a freshman.
Fellow sophomore
Brianna Taylor (Ooltewah, Tenn.) is expected to play an increased role in the circle for the Lady Railsplitters this season, as she posted an 11-10 record with a 3.88 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 124.1 innings as a freshman.
Additionally, the Lady Railsplitters return
Teddi Collins (Germantown, Ohio) and
Kristen McAndrew (Belmont, N.C.), who both appeared in at least 30 games last season. Collins had two doubles, a triple and three home runs in 38 outings, while McAndrew had 13 hits with a pair of doubles as a sophomore.
Who's New? More than half of the Lady Railsplitters' roster is made up of new faces, as Lincoln Memorial brought in nine players in the offseason.
Parker Brantley (Zebulon, N.C.) is a 5-9 utility player hailing from Zebulon, N.C. She was a three-time All-Conference player at Bunn High School.
One of two transfers for the Lady Railsplitters,
Becca Burchette (Gas City, Ind.) will be joining Lincoln Memorial after spending the last two seasons at Taylor University. A 5-8 infielder, Burchette was a three-time All-Conference player during her prep tenure in Gas City, Ind. She posted two home runs and three doubles during the 2014 season for the Taylor Trojans.
Lindsay Cecil (Winston-Salem, N.C.) - a 5-3 middle infielder - was a starter at High Point Christian Academy from the seventh grade on, completing her prep career as a five-time All-Conference pick and a two-time NCISAA and NCSCA All-State honoree.
Right-handed pitcher
Kenzie Dixon (Church Hill, Tenn.) tossed seven career no-hitters and completed her tenure at Volunteer High School with a lifetime 1.41 earned run average. She helped lead Volunteer High to its first-ever region championship in 2014.
A 5-10 utility player,
Kelsie Hocutt (Wendell, N.C.) played alongside Brantley on the Spirits Gold travel team. She earned All-Conference plaudits in 2012 and 2013 at Corinth High School while also receiving a nod to the All-State squad in 2012.
Allie Jones (Ooltewah, Tenn.) - a 5-9 outfielder - earned TSWA All-State recognition as a junior at Ooltewah High School after hitting .471 with six home runs and 61 RBIs. Jones also lettered in both volleyball and basketball in high school.
Jacie Pittman (Travelers Rest, S.C.) is a 5-2 utility player that earned both All-Region and All-State accolades while at Berea High School. She spent most of her prep career at either third base or catcher.
Alicia Raymond (Cleveland, Tenn.) is a right-handed pitcher hailing from Walker Valley High School, who she helped lead to three straight appearances in the region tournament. Raymond compiled 42 wins in her first three season at Walker Valley High.
BriAnna Schrimpf (Chandler, Ariz.), a transfer from South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, is a catcher/corner infielder combo listed at 5-8. Schrimpf hit .318 last season at South Mountain CC with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs and 39 runs scored, ranking eighth in the NJCAA Division II in home runs.
The Lady Railsplitters begin the 2016 season on Saturday, February 6 at the Pirate Classic in Savannah, Ga. Lincoln Memorial opens against Catawba at 10 a.m. before facing host Armstrong State at noon. The Lady Railsplitters won't play their first home games until they host King for a nonconference doubleheader on March 9.
