2014 Season Outlook
ter command. King was 4-1 in seven starts
before finally having to end her season with
an injury. Holeman threw nine innings last
season but the Nation Ford High School
standout is expected to pitch a lot more this
season.
Freshman Megan Winningham could
also get some work in the circle as Cooke
expects her to play a little of everywhere this
season.
AROUND THE HORN
After being occupied the last few sea-
sons by Eberlin, the competition for the
opening at first base will be a battle. Cooke
said he currently has about four viable op-
tions. One of the likely scenarios is to move
Alex White, who has been starting at third
the last two seasons, to first base. White fin-
ished with the third best average on the team
last season (.283). She had 18 runs, six
doubles, nine home runs and 24 RBI. She
also tied for the team-lead with 82 assists.
Allen along with Christine DeWitt and
Leah Young are also in the mix of snagging
the starting spot at first. DeWitt is moving
from her catcher position to first and Cooke
said she’s doing a good job making the tran-
sition. Allen provides power as she finished
with a home run and six RBI in 44 at-bats.
Young redshirted last season as she is a
power hitter with speed.
Chances are one of these four players
will be hitting in the designated player spot if
not starting a game at first.
SECOND BASE
This position has been junior Kristy
Noble’s the past two years as she’s started
109 games there. Noble was fifth on the
team in batting with a .252 average as she
had 36 runs, five doubles, nine home runs
and 32 RBI. In two seasons she has 51 runs
and 48 RBI.
Pushing Noble for playing time and the
starting role is sophomore Kim Ryder and
junior Naomi Stevens. Ryder was used in
a utility role last season and came into the
game 21 times as a pinch-runner, including
the Big South championship game as she
scored on a Durante single. Cooke said Ry-
der worked extremely hard over the summer
and has been much improved. Stevens is a
transfer from Indian River Community Col-
lege where she hit .391 with two home runs,
49 runs, 25 RBI and 55 stolen bases.
Senior Mel Andrea, who is likely to see
most of her time at right field, has experience
at second base and provides depth to the
position.
SHORTSTOP
This is usually a position at Winthrop that
has historically produced all-conference per-
formers and been very solid but last season
Cooke had a hard time finding a consistent
starter. There were four different players that
started at short and it wasn’t until the final 16
games of the season when Harbin finished
the year off as the starter.
Cooke doesn’t anticipate that sort of car-
ousel at the position this year as Maddie An-
tone is the leading candidate to be the starter
but a recent injury has limited her practice.
Antone was a star volleyball, basketball and
softball player at Kiski Area High School.
Aside from earning several all-section and
player of the year honors in basketball and
volleyball, Antone was a three-time Tribune
Review All-Section/All-Star Team selection
as well as honorable mention all-state.
Stevens has experience at short as well
as Winningham. Haley Zuehlke, who started
a team-high 21 games there last season, will
miss this season with an injury.
THIRD BASE
With White moving over to first base,
there will be a new face at third for the first
time in a couple of years. The candidates
to compete for the starting spot are junior
Kelsey Ritter and Ryder. Ritter started 16
Junior Kristy Noble hit .254 with 36 runs, nine home runs and 32 RBI in 2013. Noble has 15 home runs and 48 RBI over her first
two seasons as a starter at second base.
