2023 Season Preview: Softball

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Conway, Ark. – Coming off a 25-20 season, Central Baptist College softball opens the 2023 season tomorrow afternoon in San Antonio, Texas. CBC will take on the host school, #15 Our Lady of the Lake at 10 a.m. followed by a pair of games against Houston-Victoria beginning at 12:30 p.m. with links to live stats and video on cbcmustangs.com.

            This will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Mustangs and the Saints of OLLU, with OLLU winning the most recent meeting, 12-4, in Gulf Shores last year. The matchup with Houston-Victoria will be the eighth and ninth meetings all-time with CBC ahead 4-3 in the series. The last time CBC and UHV met was in the Hattiesburg Regional in 2021 where the Jaguars eliminated the Mustangs one game short of a trip to the World Series.

            "We've gotten some pretty good practices in and been able to get some pretty good scrimmages in as well," said second year head coach Keith Hinson. "It's good to have a little game speed action before we head down to Texas for our first set of games."

            CBC returns 20 players from last year's team, including AMC first team selections Averie Ayers, Katie Smith and Savannah Sanford as well as second team selection Lauren Anderson. Ayers and Smith headline a class of six seniors that include Victoria Lasker, Emily Cole, Allison Wagle and Heather Hoffman. Anderson and Sanford lead a returning junior class with Ysabella Esquivel, Hannah Work, Aubrey Jackson, and Gracie Keathley while the sophomores consist of Alex Jeter, Caroline Byers, Jordyn Frederic, Mallory Reynolds, Kristen Walderns, Allie McWhorter, Madalyn Tubbs, Melanie Phillips and Mollie Johnson. "The six seniors are doing an excellent job of leadership," added Hinson. "We've got really good talent back this year, for sure. We've also got some transfers and some freshman that will compete for playing time as well.

            The newcomers are headlined by a pair of All-Region performers at National Park College last year in transfers Maddie Thompson and Madeline Bruce. Baylie Ainsworth also transfers in from SAU Tech and Kori Truelove comes to the team from UCA. The freshman include utility player Finley Curtis from Bartlett, Tenn., Olivia Pickard, a pitcher from Medina, Tenn., Kylie Germann, an outfielder and second baseman from Rogers and Sydney Weiser a catcher/utility player from Conway. "I'm excited about our newcomers," said Hinson. "They are fighting everyday for a starting spot."

            The 50-game schedule includes six teams inside the NAIA's top 25 preseason poll, including games in the first two weekends against #15 Our Lady of the Lake, #5 Freed-Hardeman, #12 William Carey and #14 Georgia Gwinnett. Later in the season, the Mustangs will play #25 Saint Xavier in Alabama and the preseason pick to win the AMC, #16 Columbia. "We have a tough schedule lined up," added Hinson. "We'll find out pretty quick if we are ready for this season or not. It's going to be a tough start, the ladies know that, and their going to be ready to play ball once the first pitch gets thrown and that's what we expect them to do."

            "I'd rather not have high expectations," said Hinson when commenting on the AMC Preseason Poll, which picked CBC to finish fifth. "Personally, I think we should be picked to finish higher, that way people will, maybe, underestimate us. I think when it's all said and done, we'll finish a lot higher than that."

            Come out and support the Mustangs in their 19 games that they play at City of Colleges Park this season!