Lady Blue Knights Softball

Lady Knights prepare for fall season under new head coach

Admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:43:54 +0000

Lady Knights prepare for fall season under new head coach

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By Justin Hatten
Olney Daily Mail
Mon Aug 25, 2008, 01:34 PM CDT

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Olney, Ill. -
The OCC Lady Blue Knights will be tested right off the bat when they open their fall softball scrimmage season September 4 against national powerhouse Wabash Valley.

The Lady Warriors finished 48-5 last spring and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament in Plant City, Fla.

They return All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) and All-Region 24 standouts Kristen Broadway, Emerald Graham and LeAnn Collins this season.

OCC will play fellow GRAC foe Lincoln Trail September 18 and 25 before hosting Wabash Valley October 2. The Lady Knights close their fall campaign two days later at Danville.

“We’re gonna throw the girls into the fire and see what they can do,” first-year head coach Nick Short said. “We’re gonna go out and play hard and we’re not gonna back down from anybody. We wanna see how much we can improve from September to October and get our freshmen acclimated to the college game.”

Short has 21 players on the roster, including former Olney Lady Tigers Chelsey Sechrest (Soph.), Chelsie Cowman (Soph.) and Bianca Costantino (Fr.), West Richland High School graduate Cally Hubbell (Fr.), Carmi native Teddi Helsel (Fr.) and Robinson’s Jamie Lytle (Soph.).

“The girls are working hard and pushing each other in practice,” Short said. “I’ve been impressed with their efforts. We’re definitely gonna be more competitive than we were in the past. Depth is a strength for us.”

Despite the progress, the Lady Knights are dealing with some injuries. Sophomore outfielder Lindsey Wedding tore her ACL this offseason and won’t be available until the spring while Lytle is coming off ACL surgery but should be ready for fall ball.

“Lindsey is an outstanding player and we need her to be healthy in the spring,” Short said. “We’re working Jamie back into the fold.”

News and notes: A native of Hamilton, Short was an assistant coach for two seasons under former OCC skipper Rick Porter.

2008-09 OCC Lady Blue Knights softball roster

Amanda Hostettler (Soph./INF) – Wadesville, Ind. (North Posey)

Chelsey Sechrest (Soph./OF-C) – Olney (East Richland)

Katie Harmon (Soph./P) – Rockport, Ind. (South Spencer)

Chelsie Cowman (Soph./P) – Claremont (East Richland)

Jamie Lytle (Soph./INF) – Robinson (Robinson)

Selina Roman (Soph./INF) – Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute North)

Kelly Fougerousse (Soph./INF-P) – Jasonville, Ind. (Terre Haute South)

Lindsey Wedding (Soph./OF) – Evansville, Ind. (Evansville North)

Emily Arnold (Soph./INF) – Indianapolis, Ind. (Ben Davis)

Bianca Costantino (Fr./UTI) – Olney (East Richland)

Cally Hubbell (Fr./C) – Noble (West Richland)

Morgan Clapp (Fr./OF) – Shelbyville, Ind. (Shelbyville)

Traci Crouse (Fr./INF) – Shelbyville, Ind. (Shelbyville)

Jessica Jones (Fr./C) – Camby, Ind. (Ben Davis)

Traci Sanders (Fr./INF) – Brazil, Ind. (Northview)

Angie Camp (Fr./C-UTI) – Clay City, Ind. (Clay City)

Megan Cox (Fr./INF) – Farmersburg, Ind. (North Central)

Jordan Maurer (Fr/OF) – Fort Branch, Ind. (Gibson Southern)

Jessica Allen (Fr./UTI) – Patoka, Ind. (Princeton)

Teddi Helsel (Fr./P-INF) – Carmi (Carmi-White County)

Liz Hoffman (Fr./INF) – Indianapolis, Ind. (Ben Davis)

Head coach – Nick Short (first year)

Assistant coach – Valerie Weidner

2008 OCC fall softball schedule

September 4 – at Wabash Valley in Mt. Carmel

(2 p.m. – DH)

September 7 – at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute, Ind. (12:30 p.m. CST – DH)

September 13-14 – at Southern Indiana Tournament (TBA)

September 18 – at Lincoln Trail in Robinson

(2 p.m. – DH)

September 25 – vs. Lincoln Trail (2 p.m. – DH)

October 2 – vs. Wabash Valley (2 p.m. – DH)

October 4 – at Danville Area (1 p.m. – DH)

DH – doubleheader

CST – central standard time

Season opener postponed…

coachshort — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:03:13 +0000

The season opener for the Lady Knights at Wabash Valley has been postponed from September 4th to Friday, September 5th due to rain. Game time for the first game of the doubleheader is 2:00PM.

2008-2009 Recruits For Lady Knight Softball

coachshort — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:34:52 +0000

The following are incoming freshman to the Lady Blue Knight softball program for the 2008-2009 season.

Teddi Helsel- Carmi, IL (Carmi-White County H.S.)
Angie Camp- Clay City, IN (Clay City H.S.)
Traci Sanders- Brazil, IN (Northview H.S.)
Megan Cox- Farmersburg, IN (North Central H.S.)
Jordan Maurer- Fort Branch, IN (Gibson Southern H.S.)
Bianca Costantino- Olney, IL (East Richland H.S.)
Callie Hubbell- Noble, IL (West Richland H.S.)
Morgan Clapp- Shelbyville, IN (Shelbyville H.S.)
Traci Crouse- Shelbyville, IN (Shelbyville H.S.)
Jessica Jonas- Camby, IN (Ben Davis H.S.)
Jessica Allen- Princeton, IN (Princeton Community H.S.)
Liz Hoffman- Indianapolis, IN (Ben Davis H.S.)

Along with these freshman, the Lady Knights welcome Kelly Fougerousse from Jasonville, IN. She will be a sophomore transfer from South Georgia College. Kelly attended Terre Haute South High School.

Costantino Signs with OCC

coachshort — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:52:15 +0000

Costantino will play for OCC
By Justin Hatten
Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 4:43 PM CDT
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After undergoing elbow surgery last winter, Bianca Costantino thought her softball career might be finished.

However, thanks to hard work and determination, Costantino came back stronger than ever for her senior season with the Olney Lady Tigers, hitting a team-high .354 (29-for-82) with 20 singles, five doubles, two triples, two homers and 13 RBI.

Not only were those numbers good enough to earn her All-Apollo Conference first-team honors, but a college scholarship as well. Costantino inked a letter of intent Tuesday afternoon at East Richland High School to play for new head coach Nick Short and the OCC Lady Blue Knights starting next season.

“This feels great,” said Costantino, who plans to major in law enforcement. “I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to play this year with my injury. I want to thank my family, my coaches and my team. We had a great season and it was a blast. This gives me a chance to keep in touch with my family and still do what I love, which is play softball.”

Costantino played an instrumental role in helping turn the Lady Tigers’ program around. Following back-to-back 10-23 seasons in 2006 and 2007, Matt Powell’s club won a school-record 17 games last spring.

“I’m really excited for Bianca and the opportunity she is getting,” Powell said. “I’m glad she is staying close to home so we will still get to see her play. As soon as she got cleared after the surgery, she wanted to come in and start working out right away. Bianca hung in there and I’m really happy for her.”

Short, a native of Hamilton, has been at OCC for two years and was an assistant under former head coach Rick Porter.

Although he’s still busy wrapping up his first recruiting class, Short has already signed 11 players this offseason, including Costantino and recent West Richland High School graduate Cally Hubbell.

Throw in seven returnees and the future looks bright for the Lady Knights.

“It’s great anytime you can sign a local girl who wants to play,” Short said. “When building a program, that’s where I want to look first. Our goal is to be competitive every game, the whole game, and Bianca is gonna help us out, no doubt about it.”

Short wants to model his program after Dennis Conley’s. The longtime Blue Knights’ skipper will enter his 29th year at OCC with 1,006 victories, 25 straight winning seasons and a field named after him.

“Dennis has been absolutely great in breaking me in,” said Short, who’s played competitive fast-pitch softball since he was 10. “I’m looking forward to making connections with the community and getting things pointed in the right direction. We just want to compete and play hard each and every day.”

Jessica VanDyke has spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Lady Tigers. After finishing her softball career at ERHS, VanDyke played two years at OCC and is happy to see Costantino receive the same opportunity.

“Bianca is just a good girl and a bundle of energy,” VanDyke said. “It’s always nice to see one of our players get to the next level. Bianca will definitely help them out. It’s sad to see her go but we’re very proud of her.”

News and notes: Costantino and incoming senior Hannah Feutz both received 2008 Decatur Herald & Review All-Area honorable-mention accolades. Feutz went 16-10 during her junior campaign with 184 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings of work. She compiled a 2.40 ERA.

Along with his coaching duties, Short also teaches Biology, Anatomy and Physiology at OCC.

Northview’s Sanders Signs with Olney Central

Admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:30:49 +0000

By CAREY FOX
Times Sports Editor
Northview graduate Traci Sanders became a starter for the Knights from the time she stepped on the diamond as a freshman.
Next year she will be a Knight of a different color.
On Wednesday, Sanders signed a letter-of-intent to become the newest member of Coach Nick Short’s Olney Central Blue Knight recruiting class for 2008.
The Knights’ shortstop will be amongst friends when she joins Olney with Clay City’s Angie Camp, former Terre Haute South Brave Kelsey Fougerousse and Selena Roman, a former Terre Haute North Patriot, also set to play for the Blue Knights.
“I’ll know a lot of the girls on the team so it’ll help me be more relaxed,” said Sanders. “And I didn’t want to be too far away,” she said with a smile.
Short will be in his first year as the head coach of the program that had a 15-28 record last year. The two-year Biology and Anatomy professor at Olney believes that the Wabash Valley has an abundance of talent to strengthen his program in years to come.
“Indiana doesn’t have a junior college system and Olney is close to the Indiana border,” said Short.
“The level of talent in southwestern Indiana is outstanding. I’d be stupid not to recruit there,” he quipped.
Sanders, who was an All-State Honorable Mention this season, hit .458 this year with 38 hits in 83 at-bats as Northview reached the sectional championship game against perennial foe Martinsville. She also slugged
..627 for the year, scoring 26 runs driving home 22 runs.
Northview coach Bethany Jones feels that Sanders will be a great fit for Olney next year.
“As a player, she’s a natural,” said Jones. “Her knowledge of the game is tremendous and it’s been great to see her grow as a role model and a leader over her four years here.”
Short was also complimentary of not only Sanders ability on the diamond, but her qualities off the field as well.
“She has all the tools,” said Short. “She’s got a great arm, a good softball sense, moves well and she knows the game. She’s also a high character young lady from a great family and that’s what I was looking for in my first class.”
Short’s first recruiting class will be a big one for the two-year junior college. According to the avid fast-pitch softball competitor, 11 players are already signed for next Fall with four more girls already giving verbal commitments.
Sanders expects to compete for time at the shortstop position, but said she’ll likely play several positions.
“The coaches said that I could play shortstop, but I
may play some at third base and really anywhere in
the infield, but maybe not first base because I’m too short,” she joked.
While softball is going to allow her to continue her education under scholarship next year, Sanders is already thinking about her future in academia.
“I really want to major in Athletic Training,” said Sanders. “Olney doesn’t offer that, but I’ll be able to get my general education classes out of the way before going to a four-year school.”
Sanders credits Northview Athletic Trainer, Nicole Gonzales with sparking her interest in the field.
“I just really love being around sports and I really loved our athletic trainer,” said Sanders.
Though both Jones and Short pointed towards some aspects that Sanders needs to work on to make the next step in competition, each were quick to credit her work ethic.
“I think the biggest improvement for her will be at the plate,” said Short. “The pitching at this level is challenging. You’ll see pitchers throwing 63-66 miles per hour day-in, day-out. That’s the main thing.”
“She’ll have to work on her speed and agility with some drills,” said Jones. “But I know once she gets over there she’s going to make the adjustment.”
“Traci most definitely deserves it,” said Jones.
“She’s worked hard and though she’s had slumps, she always worked hard to get through them. When I asked for 110 percent she’d always give 115 percent.”
If you’d like to comment on this article, log on to www.thebraziltimes.com.

2008 LADY BLUE KNIGHT SUMMER CAMPS!

coachshort — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:25:48 +0000

The Lady Blue Knight Summer Camps will be held on two consecutive Fridays in July. The morning sessions will focus on hitting and defense while the afternoon sessions will concentrate on pitching. Please see the “CAMPS” page on the banner above to locate permission forms and contact information. Helping with the camps this summer are the Lady Blue Knights. Hope to see you at the field!

OCC Opens GRAC Play

coachshort — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:50:12 +0000

The Lady Knights opened conference play March 25th at Southeastern College in Harrisburg. The Lady Knights won both games by the scores of 23-1 and 14-1 respectively. The first game saw sophomores Jackie Daugherty and Ashley Roberts leading the way with Jackie going 4-4 with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI and Ashley going 5-5 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI. Freshman Amanda Hostettler also had multiple hits, going 3-4 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI. Katie Harmon picked up the victory by pitching 5 innings, giving up 1 run on two hits and striking out 4. Game two was another offensive affair for the Knights. Amanda Hostettler stayed hot as she went
4-4 at the plate with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Others collecting hits were Jackie Daugherty (2), Taylor Christophel, Lindsey Wedding, Krystal Lawalin and Brandy Allen (1 each). Vincennes Lincoln graduate Teia Nidey picked up the win by pitching 3 innings, giving up 1 run on one hit and striking out 3. East Richland graduate Chelsie Cowman finished the game by throwing 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2 with no walks.

Knights Go 2-2 at Wallace State Tourney

coachshort — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:06:54 +0000

The Lady Blue Knights had a bookend of victories at the Wallace State Tournament in Cullman, Alabama March 14-16. The Knights had to fight through a barage of thunderstorms and unseasonably cool temperatures during the tourney.

Game 1:

Katie Harmon picked up the first win of the year for the Knights as they beat Northwest Shoals 9-8. The Knights made things interesting as they gave up five runs in the sixth and allowed the tying run to reach third base in the seventh. Perseverance, however, paid off. Harmon pitched six solid innings, giving up only three earned runs, before giving the ball over to fellow freshman Teia Nidey, who closed out the seventh. Jackie Daugherty reached base all five times at bat with three walks and two doubles, with one run scored. Ashley Roberts remained hot by going 2-3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Freshman Taylor Christophel, from Columbus, IN, went 2-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Evansville native Lindsey Wedding added three RBI thanks to a triple in the third inning.

Game 2:

After a rain delay that put the tournament nearly a whole day behind, the Lady Knights played Bevill State CC out of Alabama. Despite an outstanding pitching performance by Katie Harmon, the Knights were edged 7-6. Harmon did not allow an earned run in the contest, as seven errors by the Knights in the field did the damage. Harmon scattered 7 hits in 6 innings pitched. Freshman Amanda Hostettler led the Knights at the plate by going 2-3 with an RBI.

Game 3:

For the second game in a row the defense of the Lady Knights was suspect. Freshman Teia Nidey took the tough luck loss. She gave up 4 earned runs in the 9-3 loss, scattering 6 hits in 6 innings. Sophomore Robinson, IL product Jamie Lytle led the Knights at the plate by going 3-4 with 2 RBI.

Game 4:

The last game of the tournament was both a blessing and a disaster for the Lady Knights. The blessing came in the form of freshman pitcher and Olney native Chelsie Cowman. Chelsie pitched five innings, face only 18 batters, gave up no earned runs and only one hit on a day when the Lady Knights defeated Hiawassee College of Tennessee 9-1. The disaster occurred when the Lady Knights lost sophomore starter Jamie Lytle to a torn ACL while sliding into home. Befitting her personality, the first question Jamie asked when the coaches got there was, “did i score?” She did, but the Knights would be happy to give the run back if Jamie could have stayed injure free.
Leading the way for the Knights was Jackie Daugherty with 3 runs scored. Ashley Roberts went 2-4 and Jamie Lytle went 2-2 with 2 runs scored before the injury. Lindsey Wedding went 1-2 with 3 RBI and Selina Roman went 1-2 with an RBI.

SPRING SEASON BEGINS…

coachshort — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:25:11 +0000

The Lady Blue Knights opened the 2008 season in Gadsden, AL on March 13th. The Lady Knights held their own in facing a squad that was 12-13 on the season while OCC was playing their first game of the year…and had only gotten outside once due to the Illinois weather.

South Spencer graduate Katie Harmon got the nod in the first game and pitched well. She threw four innings, giving up 10 runs, yet only 5 of them were earned. Olney native Chelsie Cowman pitched the final two innings, giving up one earned run as Gadsden State won the first game 11-4. Sophomore Ashley Roberts led the Knights at the plate by going 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Robinson High School graduate Jamie Lytle also started well at the plate by going 2-3 with an RBI.

The second game saw a much better defensive effort turned in by the Lady Knights, only to come up short, 5-2. Freshman Teia Nidey got the start for the second game and, after allowing five earned runs in the first, shut down Gadsden State for the remainder of the game. She retired GSCC in order in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings, and allowed only one extra base runner in the 6th. However, the Knights could not score the runs needed for the win. Flora sophomore Jackie Daugherty went 2-3 at the plate with a double, run scored and RBI and Ashley Roberts went 2-4 with an RBI as well.

New Additions…

coachshort — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:59:28 +0000

The Lady Blue Knights would like to welcome three new additions to the roster for the Spring 2008 season. Terra Ochs is a native of Oblong, IL and will primarily catch for the Knights. She is also active in Students Senate and other clubs on campus. Krystal Lawalin is from Tell City, IN and will help the Lady Knights at numerous positions and at the plate. Jasmine Grubbs is the third player to join the Lady Blue Knights and will provide speed to the lineup. She is a native of Indianapolis, IN.