Cooper 2017 Fastpitch Softball Preview

 

Returning Starters:

Allana Matteson – Sophomore – 3B – Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1 (2 times)

Hailey Nicholas – Senior – OF – Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1 (2 times)

Colleen Hume – Senior – IF / OF – Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1 (2 times) / MVP – Bulldog Bash Tournament 2016

Alex Dummitt – Junior – P – Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1 (2 times) / MVP – Bulldog Bash Tournament 2015

Taylor Keener – Junior – OF – 33rd District All Tournament Team

Cayla Petrowski – Senior – C - Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1

Kayari Suganuma – Freshman – SS – 1st Team All Conference Division 1

Christina Luehrmann – Senior – 1B - Honorable Mention All Conference Division 1

 

Key Returnees:

Clhoe Kincart – Junior – IF / C

Leah Moore – Sophomore – OF / IF

Anna Ryder – Junior – OF / IF

Elena Studer – 8th Grade – OF

 

Key Newcomers:

Amber Chaney – 7th Grade – P / IF / OF

Dylan Scott – 7th Grade – IF / OF

Gweny Wessling – 7th Grade – IF / OF

 

Coming off a season in 2016 which saw the Cooper Jaguars set new school records for most wins in a season (14), the first winning season in school history, most runs scored in a season, and their 2nd consecutive tournament championship (Bulldog Bash Tournament), my assistant Dan Curtis and I are extremely excited for the season to start, this being our third year in charge of the Cooper program. 8 returning starters, 4 key returnees, along with 3 key newcomers, gives the Cooper Jaguars reason to be excited. Speed will be a key this season, we’ve really gotten a lot faster and a lot more experienced than we were. We feel like we are going to surprise some people this year with the lineups we are going to be able to put onto the field. Alex Dummitt is a key, she had a great 2016 season as our starting pitcher and we look for her to continue to keep getting better and better. Kayari Suganuma and Cayla Petrowski, two newcomers to Northern Kentucky last year, were big assets to our improvement as a team last season. Suganuma was our sparkplug, as she had a tremendous first year in NKY, while Petrowski took over behind the plate for us and was our field leader. Returning starters Collen Hume (5 year starter)(coming off a serious knee injury but has rehabbed so hard she is ready to go), Hailey Nicholas (4 year starter)(coming off a great basketball season for the region runnerup team), and Allana Matteson (4 year starter) are the offensive leaders for the Jaguars. Matteson at her current pace, only a sophomore, will end her career as the all time leader in most all offensive categories for Cooper. Taylor Keener and her speed is a big asset to our outfield as well, and we have her fulltime now since she isn’t playing club volleyball. Christina Luehrmann made the move to 1st base last season and had a great year, hitting over .330 for the season. Leah Moore, Anna Ryder, Elena Studer, and Clhoe Kincart are key returnees for us, all of them capable of being in the lineup and all have the flexibility of playing 5+ positions, plus all have the speed to help us in the lineup. The three young 7th graders, Dylan Scott, Amber Chaney and Gweny Wessling, add tons of speed, fielding ability, and lots of playing experience, and in Chaney’s case good pitching for us this season. We are ready to get on the field - without the snow and cold weather of course!

nice write up coach.