SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team embarks on its 2023 season Friday evening at the San Diego State University Season Kickoff. The Irish are coming off of a 40-12 2022 season and return seven of nine position starters from the final game of the 2022 NCAA Regional. This year’s team is highlighted by preseason All-ACC selections Karina Gaskins and Leea Hanks.
The Irish open the season Friday night against Arizona State (7:30 p.m.), and San Diego State (10 p.m.), before taking on CSUN (5 p.m.) and Northern Illinois (7:30 p.m.) Saturday and close the weekend with Memphis on Sunday (12 p.m.).
The 40 wins in a season were the most since the Irish won 43 games during the 2013 season. They were led by 2022 ACC Player of the Year, Gaskins who hit an ACC best .428 average with 61 RBI. She also set a new school record with a .555 on-base percentage. Hanks ended the 2022 campaign with a .370 average, leading the team with 14 doubles, five triples and returns the most stolen bases on the team at 13.
Carlli Kloss and Jane Kronenberger are expected to have a bigger impact on this year’s squad. The two started 25 and 28 games, respectively, but both emerged as key contributors for the Irish offense. Kloss hit for a .411 average in 56 at bats with three doubles, two triples and her first career homer. She also stole seven bases on seven attempts. Kronenberger added a .389 average in 40 games, hitting 10 doubles, three home runs and drove in 31 runs. She was a Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year top 10 selection.
Around the horn the Irish have a plethora of depth. Second base was split between Miranda Johnson and Kronenberger last year. This spring, Mac Vasquez has seen reps at second base with senior Brooke Marquez splitting time on the right side of the diamond. Marquez took over the shortstop position in 2022, finishing with a .254 average with four home runs.
Just the third transfer in school history, Lexi Orozco comes in with 480 collegiate at bats at Utah State, playing primarily shortstop. Orozco owns a .319 career average with 39 home runs, 138 RBI and a .415 on-base percentage. Anna Holloway showed flashes during her freshman season, finishing with two home runs drove in seven runs in 42 at bats. Marquez is also expected to be in the mix at shortstop, having played much of her defensive innings at that position.
Third base is expected to utilize a similar platoon as 2022 to start the season. Cassidy Grimm and Joley Mitchell each played consistently during the 2022 season, appearing in 43 and 47 games, respectively. Grimm hit for a .298 average with three stolen bases and earned a .941 fielding percentage. Mitchell provides the pop on the offensive side, finishing with a .340 average with nine doubles, a triple, five homers and 25 RBI.
The outfield needs two out of three positions to be filled after the departures of Abby Sweet and Emma Clark. Hanks returns this season after a stellar junior year. The rest of the outfield will be worked out during the year with Emily Tran, Mickey Winchell and Macie Eck expected to see expanded roles. Others expected to see time on the outfield grass are Kronenberger with Johnson.
With Kloss expected to handle most of the catching duties, the secondary backstop will emerge from the group of Rachel Allen, Gaelen Kelly and Mikayla LaPlaca. Allen owns three career hits after her rookie season in 2022, all of which went for extra bases as she drove in three runs in six at bats. LaPlaca will make her collegiate debut this season, while Kelly is entering her first year of collegiate softball.
Bryn Boznanski also provides pop of the bench. The junior has one career hit, a three run homer in 2022. She’s had five career at bats but provides vital energy inside the Irish dugout with the potential to be a key contributor in an already powerful offense.
The circle sees the return of second team All-ACC selection Payton Tidd and third year All-ACC and All-Freshman honoree, Shannon Becker. Tidd returns 130.2 innings from 2022 and has thrown 492.1 innings in her career. The Irish ace owns a career 2.55 ERA with 30 complete games and holds opponents to a .229 average against. Becker finished her freshman season with the best ERA on the team at 1.71 in 90.0 innings of work. The freshman tandem of Micaela Kastor and Paige Cowley will be key contributors to the quartet of hurlers. Both are freshman that have shown plus potential during the fall and spring seasons.
ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State enters the 2023 season after going 43-11 and hosting the NCAA Regionals and Supers last year. ASU is ranked in two of this year’s preseason polls, including 22nd in the USA Today/NFCA poll, and 25th in Softball America.
The Sun Devils outfielder Yannira Acuna was named Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference and was ranked 16th in Softball America’s preseason top 100 rankings. She was the 2022 Softball America Most Improved Player, hitting .432 with 14 home runs and led the Pac-12 with 19 doubles.
Marissa Schuld is the one returning pitcher to the Sun Devil staff. She was a second team All Pac-12 selection in 2022, going 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA. The pitching staff is made up of three transfers. Kenzie Brown made 22 appearances for Tulsa in 2022, Deborah Jones appeared in 69 games over the last three seasons at Ball State and Mac Osborn appeared in 21 games in two seasons at Virginia Tech.
SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State made a regional appearance in 2022, competing in the same postseason tournament as the Sun Devils. The Aztecs made the regional final before falling to the top-seeded Sun Devils and finishing the season with a 39-16 overall record, going 20-4 in the Mountain West.
Offensively, the Aztecs are led by Mac Barbara. Barbara was a 2022 NFCA Third Team All-American and was a First Team All-NFCA West Region, 2022 Mountain West Player of the Year and was a first team All-Mountain West selection. AJ Murphy also returns for the 2023 season. She hit for a .304 average in 53 games, hitting two home runs and driving in 26 runs.
CSUN (Cal State Northridge)
Returning to the circle is Dee Dee Hernandez, last year’s ERA champ for the Aztecs. Hernandez owned a 1.98 ERA in 31 appearances, starting seven games. SDSU lost its work horse, but Allie Light returns after starting 13 games and appearing in 28 in 2022.
Saturday’s slate begins with a matchup with the CSUN Matadors. CSUN finished the 2022 season with a 24-30 record, going 14-13 in conference play. The team hit for a .222 average with 60 doubles and 19 home runs. The top returning position player is Mikayla Carman. The sophomore hit .302 as she earned second team All-Mountain West honors, as well as being named to the All-Big West Freshman team.
The CSUN pitching staff returns two of the top three pitchers from last season. Alexis Martinez returns 110.1 innings from last season, appearing in 26 games and 21 starts. She earned a 3.81 ERA, allowing a .286 average against. Allie Gardiner added 64.2 innings in the circle, earning nine wins as the primary reliever. She threw in 29 games with one start.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois finished the 2022 season with a 17-28 mark and 10-18 in the Mid-American Conference. After seeing their top hitter move on, Sam Mallinder is the top returning hitter for the Huskies. Mallinder started 39 games, appearing in 41 and accumulating 120 at bats. She hit for a .325 average with seven doubles, six home runs and 28 RBI. As a team, the Huskies hit for a .281 average with 219 runs scored, averaging 4.84 per game.
Two out of three from the Husky pitching staff return. Emily Dato and Claire Norred threw the most innings in the circle during the season, tossing 110.2 and 107.0, respectively. Norred threw in 33 games, earning a 5.56 ERA to go with 65 strikeouts. Dato earned the team’s top ERA at 4.49 in 26 games. She struck out 60 hitters, allowing a .305 average against.
MEMPHIS
The Memphis Tigers finished 2022 at 16-38, and 2-16 in the American Athletic Conference. With the top two hitters from last year’s squad, Kendall Lee is expected to make the jump. Lee finished 2022 with a .298 average in 53 games, accumulating 141 at bats. She hit two home runs and led the team with seven doubles.
The top pitcher from last year’s team returns in Hallie Siems. Siems threw a in a team-best 42 games with 27 starts. She earned a 5.68 ERA in 142.2 innings. The other returning pitcher is Drue Thomas. Thomas logged 6.0 innings, earning a 15.00 ERA to go with five strikeouts.