Jan. 28, 2008

ADRIAN, Mich. - The Adrian College softball team has recently undergone a face-lift of sorts and will look to translate those changes into success.

Some notable upgrades have been taking place at the Adrian College softball field, which is located on the south end of Stratford Avenue on campus. The field improvements include new dugouts, a new press box, and a new scoreboard along with the addition of stadium-style seating and all-turf batting cages and bull pens. Windscreens have also been put into place for the entire field while the infield itself has been resurfaced.

The Bulldogs also have a new coaching staff for the 2008 season in addition to the significant softball field improvements. Kristina Schweikert and Jacque Stewart will be leading the squad in their first season with the team. Schweikert, a 2006 graduate of Tiffin University, was a three-time all-conference athlete while being named as a First-Team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

In her three months at Adrian College, Schweikert has transitioned into the position with the support of the school and some of her fellow coaches. "I was very fortunate to have the help of the baseball coaches throughout the fall," Schweikert commented. "I think that Head Coach Craig Rainey and Assistant Coach Luke Harrigan worked hard to instill the work ethic from the beginning that we need to be successful this season."

When discussing her optimism for the upcoming season and the coaching staff, Schweikert commented, "As a coaching staff, we work hard to demand the responsibility, hard work and dedication it takes to be a successful student-athlete."

"This season every player has to work hard and prove that they are the best at their spot," she added. "It is our job as a coaching staff to put the best players on the field to win games, and that's what we are going to do."

Schweikert and Stewart will look to a core of returning players to lead the large number of young first-year players. Three of the Bulldogs' top returning players hail from Monroe County. Krissy Sheets (Temperance, Mich./Bedford), Carmen Batway (LaSalle, Mich./Monroe), and Meghan Lohr (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) are three of the top offensive players for the young Bulldog squad.

Sheets was named First-Team All-MIAA as well as Louisville Slugger/NFCA First-Team All Central Region last spring after hitting a team-best .510 as the team's starting center fielder. Batway earned Second-Team All-MIAA accolades as the mainstay at shortstop for the Bulldogs while hitting .400 in league contests as a sophomore. Lohr was tabbed as a MIAA Position Player of the Week in week one last season and tied the school record for home runs in a season (6) as a freshman.

The Adrian College softball team will look to improve upon their 16-14 (5-11 MIAA) record of a year ago as they open up the 2008 season on their spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. where they will play eight games. The home opener on the newly renovated Adrian College softball field is slated to take place on March 12th at 3:30 p.m. against cross-town rival Siena Heights University.