2008 Softball Preview

Published: April 13, 2021

GREENVILLE, Ill. - The Greenville College Panther softball team is looking forward to the 2008 season. In the fall of 2004, Head Coach Brian Reinhard and his staff brought in eight freshman players. That year the Panthers turned the program around going from five wins the year before to 16 wins and a SLIAC tournament berth in the spring of 2005. The next two years were also quite successful, as the Panthers returned to the conference tournament in 2006 and only missed it by one game in 2007.Now, six of those original eight freshman return for their senior season and are hungry for a SLIAC championship and a trip to the NCAA Regional tournament. While one, Elizabeth Whitham, remains a question mark for when she will make it off of the disabled list, the other five are expected to contribute greatly and provide excellent leadership this year.Talitha Engelhardt, from Pinckneyville High School, returns at second base as she looks to finish a stellar career. Barring injury, Engelhardt will rewrite a number of records at Greenville College including career batting average, total hits, and total number of at-bats.Centerfielder Cara Wagner, from Collinsville High School also returns and has a chance to eclipse the career records of runs scored and stolen bases.Handling third base duties for the fourth consecutive season is Erin O'hara from Arizona. O'hara has a good chance to surpass the career record for doubles and RBI's.Michelle Westlake, from Indiana returns in the outfield after having her best offensive season last year.With senior Cindi Hardy, who transferred to GC last year and led the team in RBI's, the Panthers will often start an entirely senior outfield.The fifth senior who is expected to provide on and off-field leadership for the team and provide some power in the middle of the order is first baseman Julie Murphy, also from Collinsville High School.Though the whole team's power numbers were down just a bit last year with only three home runs, Murphy and the Panthers expect that to at least double again this year. Part of the reason for that spike will be a couple strong hitting new additions to the team.Samantha Daugherty will join the team as a freshman from Hollywood Christian High School in Florida. Sam, with her 27 RBI's and four home runs her senior year in high school will look to contribute power even in her first year.Another strong-hitting addition to the Panthers is local girl Emily Brewer. The former standout player for John Barnes and the Mulberry Grove Eagles has decided to transfer from Lewis and Clark College to Greenville this year. Coach Reinhard recruited her last year from MGHS and is excited to add her bat to an already potent lineup.Freshman Amanda Davison from California will also be a solid-hitting addition to the Panthers this year. Nevertheless, Davison's primary contribution this first year will be to help on the mound.Last year Panther's ace Dana Fleshren, now a junior, had a fantastic year, earning all-conference honors, but was forced to pitch far too many innings. Amanda will be able to provide some quality innings as she makes the adjustment to 43 feet her first year, which will in turn make Fleshren even more of a threat.Last, but certainly not least, are the middle players (and we don't necessarily mean middle infield). GC returns three sophomores who are expected to contribute substantially this year. Cristi Meredith, also from California will split time behind the plate and in the outfield. Cristi was seasoned well last year as she got a good dose of innings behind the plate as a freshman and showed signs of also being able to provide some of the power in the lineup.Jamie Hebron from South Central High School saw occasional infield action and showed good technique and a very strong arm which will help her in the battle for one of the few open positions. Shortstop was recently vacated by four-year starter Kristen Stuckemeyer and will be a key spot to fill for the Panthers.Kim Reddell the third player on the Panther roster from Arizona will bring her good speed and disciplined bat back as she returns to the outfield.Only two juniors will grace the squad this year. Fleshren from Belleville East High School has been mentioned above and will carry the largest load on the mound. The other junior is Jessica Gilmore from Greenville. Jessica also saw more action and vast improvement in the outfield last year. Gilmore also swings a good bat from the left side giving the Panthers four players who attack the plate from that side.Finally, Coach Reinhard welcomes two new assistant coaches to the team. Tatiana Garcia, who pitched for four years at Biola University in California, and who has worked multiple summers for the UCLA summer camps, will replace Stacey Lux as the Greenville College Fitness Center manager, Assistant Softball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. A newly established Graduate Assistant position for softball will be filled by Suzanne Cole from Bethel College in Indiana. Suzanne was described by her coach at Bethel as one of the strongest, most consistent hitters she has coached.With plenty of fresh and excited new faces (both on the roster and in the coaching staff), and a strong, talented, and motivated bunch of veterans, the GC Softball team has high hopes for the upcoming season.