Bluffton Softball Looks Strong for 2010

Jordan Marbaugh

The head coach of the Beavers is Heather Bruder and this will be her fourth season as head coach of the Beavers. Coach Bruder is assisted by Assistant Coach Paul Burnside. The team plays in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). The team returns a strong core of players with six starters returning and a seventh key player in a second pitcher. This gives them strong leadership and a battle tested team. Overall the team is made up of two seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores, and four freshmen. They look to improve on last year’s season in which they set a school record in wins going 30-13. Beavers also went 12-4 in the HCAC and finished tied for second in the conference. They must pick up for the loss of a big bat in the middle of the order to which they lost to graduation; Lindsey Miller who had a .458 batting average with 46 runs batted in and 7 homeruns. Another loss in pitcher Kellie Kenney to graduation who had 19 appearances with a 10-4 record, a 2.38 earned run average and seven complete games. The team must account for these two key losses. The pitching will fall in the hands of sophomore Kristin Agauas who last year appeared in twenty games with 5-2 record, a 2.40 earned run average and four complete games. The ace of the pitching staff is senior Brooke Babcock who appeared in 26 games with a 1.89 earned run average and 14 complete games. The offense will turn to senior Jayme Marbaugh to take the place of Miller. Marbaugh finished last season with a .385 batting average, 26 runs batted in and 10 doubles. She will look for help from sophomore Chelsie Osborne who had a .346 batting average and 32 runs batted in last season.

The team looks to make an NCAA playoff appearance for the first time in school history. If they can make an appearance in the NCAA playoffs it will be the second athletic team to make an NCAA tournament appearance this year as the Beaver volleyball team did so to finish their season. The Beavers have won the HCAC conference three times, twice outright and sharing their last one in 2008 with Rose Holman Institute of Technology. The Beavers open the season on March 8th in the annual spring break trip to Florida to play in the Rebel Spring Games. The Repel Spring Games span March 8-12 where the team will play ten games in four days. The Beavers have been picked to finish second in the conference by the HCAC preseason poll. They received 70 total points and one first place vote in the coaches’ poll released Wednesday January 27. Transylvania has been picked to finish first receiving 79 total points and eight first place votes.

Game1 Bluffton vs #4 Ohio Northern

Bluffton 2 ONU 13

Game2 Bluffton vs #4 Ohio Northern

Bluffton 4 ONU 2

Story From Florida

Jordan Marbaugh

With all the time the Bluffton University Softball Team has spent together they have some interesting stories they have to cherish for the rest of thier lives. Many of them are probably best kept to themselves. However there are some that they will be able to enjoy, and these ladies make each time they are together a time to remember.

There is one they all would like to share this year. The team wants to win the regular season conference title. Then continue right on and win the conference tournament title. The tournament title would guarantee them a soot in the NCAA Tournament. An appearance in the NCAA's wouod be the first appearance in program history. The school has won the Heartland Colligate Athletic Conference regular season title on two previous occasions. Last year they finished the season in second place and third in the HCAC Tournament. They have set their goal this year to reach the NCAA playoffs.

The story from Florida was shared by third baseman Jayme Marbaugh. The first outdoor practice the team had in Florida they had their centerfielder, Shelby Wade, playing third base while taking some live hitting. There was a pop up that was in foul territory that was by third base. When Shelby went to catch the fly ball she tripped over the bag and fell flat on the face. Even though she was on her face she still tried to catch the ball, but she missed it. After seeing her fall on her face, first baseman Emily Manahan yelled "someone get that girl out of the dirt!!" Just one story the team will make over the entire season.

Future of Beaver Softball

Jordan Marbaugh

The near future of Bluffton University Softball looks strong. This upcoming season looks to be a solid season. The Beavers lost two seniors last year but return a solid core of players off a record setting 30 win team. Coach Bruder says “their goal for the season is to make an NCAA playoff berth.” The program does not have a playoff appearance under their belt. The team still looks pretty good for the 2011 season but they will lose two seniors that are big contributors. However Bruder is a proven coach and will turn to returning players and the recruits she brings in.

The future beyond that can’t really be predicted. There are several factors that play into how they will do. The program must continue to bring in good recruits to fill the holes left by graduates. Coach Bruder could move on to a new position and cause the Beavers to bring in a new head coach. This can affect the program because every coach has their own style and certain players don’t fit that style. Injury and players quitting or transferring also can affect the future.

We may be taken a look into the future of the program but the 2010 Beavers and Coach Bruder are not. They are focused on this season and this season only. They are busy putting in the time to win the conference title and achieve their goal of reaching the NCAA playoffs.

The Coach Behind Beavers’ Softball Team

Jordan Marbaugh

Heather Bruder is entering her fourth season as head coach of the Bluffton University Softball Team. Since being hired at Bluffton Bruder has lead the ladies to an overall record of 69-47 and a 34-13 mark in the HCAC. She was named HCAC Coach of the Year for the 2008 season. Last season Bruder lead the team to a school record with 30 wins.

Bruder started her coaching career at Northwood University, a Division II school in Michigan. When she took over the Timberwolves were a struggling program. The team had suffered five straight losing seasons until 2005 when Bruder turned the program around. In that season they finished with a 34-14 overall record and captured the school’s first ever GLIAC Title. The Timberwolves advanced to the finals of the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship where it fell to Northern Kentucky, the number 1 team in the country at the time. She built on the success in the 2006 season by setting a school record with 37 wins. Northwood went 71-29 in Bruder’s final two seasons and were turned into a national powerhouse in D-II.

Coach Bruder has continued to succeed after coming to Bluffton University. In three seasons she has coached the team to a 69-47 overall mark. The first two seasons under Bruder the Beavers’ team batting average rose 72 points from .238 to .310. Opponents’ team batting average dropped 22 points from .269 to .247. Last season the team success continued as they batted .304 as a team and opponents batted .223. Along with being a head coach of these two programs she has been an assistant coach for USA-Athletes International.

Bluffton University Softball History

Jordan Marbaugh

Bluffton University began their softball program in 1985. Since that year they have had 25 seasons and counting. In these seasons the Beavers have an overall record of 364-376-3. The program has had nine coaches during its existence. The university joined the NCAA in 1991and have yet to make an appearance in the NCAA playoffs.
Since joining the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) in 1999, the Beavers won the conference title three times; 1999, 2004, and 2008. In 1999 they also won the conference tournament title. This past season they finished tied for second in regular season.
Sarah Betts was one of the best players to go through the program. Betts played from 2003 to 2006. She holds 11 of 12 career pitching records that are kept in the record books and nearly every single season record. She holds the record for lowest earned run average at a very impressive 1.36. Betts has the most career wins with 60 and held opponents batting average to a program low .176. In April of 2009 Betts was honored as one of the players of the decade at the HCAC luncheon.

Softball and the Bluffton University Community

Jordan Marbaugh

The Bluffton University Softball Team has an impact beyond just the players and parents. They can have an effect on everyone on campus; this includes all students and also the faculty. The effects that the team has on the community can also benefit the team. There are two main ways in which they can have an impact beyond just themselves, and that would be by winning or losing.
The team has the greatest impact if they are winning. The more they win the more support that is given from the community. The people on campus are more willing to go watch a game if the team is doing well rather than if it is struggling. The community is also more willing to support the team fundraisers if the team is continuing to be successful. The supporters will give more money and other items because they always want to see a winning program. If the team also makes the NCAA Tournament the people of the community have an increased excitement. This increased excitement was noticed when the Bluffton Volleyball Team reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season. The students and staff will remember moments like that for a very long time. The community is brought together because everyone is getting on the bandwagon and wants to see their athletic programs succeed.
When the team is losing there is an opposite effect on the community. The community members are less likely to give donations and support the team fundraisers. There is no common excitement for the ones on campus because people don’t go out to support teams that are continuously losing. There is no bandwagon effect for everyone to get on board with so they don’t go to the games or they don’t support the team in other things the team puts on. The effects the Softball Team has reaches further than most people would think.

Tensions Brought Out by Softball

Jordan Marbaugh

The softball team deals with tension at Bluffton University. The team has conflict with some of the baseball players. These two teams have it because the baseball players feel the softball players are being cocky when they talk about their wins. The baseball players get mad because they have struggled ever since the bus accident. A baseball player said of the softball team struggling in a game “I’m glad they are struggling so they can stop rubbing it in our face with their new coats they wear every day.” It is comments like this that cause the tension and will continue to cause such feelings.
There is also tension with the athletic the department. Some of the conflict was caused by the new locker rooms that the football team got. Many didn’t feel that the football team needed the new locker room at this time. Softball disagreed because a couple years ago when they tied for the conference regular season title, the team had to go on their own to get their championship rings. The athletic department didn’t help them get the rings. The team felt they deserved some assistants from the athletic department for their accomplishment.
Tension is also caused from it being a woman’s sport. There is always less support for women’s sports than men’s sports. The team may win and be consistent but the support will continuously be less. This leads to more funds being spent on such sports as football and men’s basketball because the turnout is greater. This tension falls on the athletic department because it causes tension between teams and coaches. The tension is even greater when one team is continuously winning and one is continuously struggling.

Ethical Issues

Jordan Marbaugh

Many things about the sport of softball can be seen as an ethical issue. Many people see the way in which a team celebrates as an issue. Other issues that are present are drug testing and the view that outside people have on softball players. These are all things the team, the staff, and the athletic department must deal with.
Many see the way a team celebrates after the win as an ethical issue because if the winning team goes over the top with celebrating it is seen as unsportsmanlike. They are said to not be respecting the other team and are not respecting the game. However this can go both ways. The losing team can be unsportsmanlike and disrespectful when refusing to shake hands after the game. These are viewed as ethical issues and a lot of people draw a very fine line in what is ethical and unethical.
Drug testing is not regular occurrence for Division III. The drug testing isn’t put into place until the playoffs. This allows athletes the opportunity to do illegal substances such as steroids during the regular season and quit before playoffs begin. However illegal substances are not the only things that can cause a failed drug test. There are many other substances that can cause someone to fail, for example an energy drink such as an AMP can cause a failure. This can cause problems because someone could have taken steroids during the season but past and someone who doesn’t do steroids may fail because of the ingredients of an energy drink.
The view people have of softball players is another ethical issue. There are many people who view softball players as lesbians. They usually don’t actually get to know the players they just make this assumption. Their assumptions are based on the players’ looks, or just that they are a woman and they are talented at a sport. They view them as masculine so they assume that she must be a lesbian.

Softball Sub-cultures

Jordan Marbaugh

The women of the Bluffton University Softball Team are always are always seen together. Subculture is a group of people that a person associates with. This is especially true for Bluffton University’s team. They eat lunch and dinner together in Marbeck. They attend other sporting events on campus as a group. Most of the time they have is spent as a team. This is done to build camaraderie and make the team more like a family environment on the team.

They build camaraderie and the family environment in a couple of different ways. One way is that all the upper class players of the team all try to get together on the same floor when it comes to room draw for dorm rooms. They have team meals usually at Brooke Babcock’s house during the offseason. The time of the year the team becomes closest is during the spring training trip to Florida. They divide the team between the two houses while there. For this entire week they do everything with the other members of the team and this helps them grow as a team.