Sarah Dawson knew when she accepted the head coaching job for the Louisiana Tech softball program in August of 2002 that she was inheriting a program that was in a rebuilding mode.

The Lady Techsters 16-42 record during Dawson?s first year proved that point. However, despite the fact that Tech struggled for much of the season, Dawson said she saw enough positives to have high hopes for improvement heading into this season.

According to the former All-American pitcher, perhaps the biggest step that her squad must take this year is mental; something the Techsters had trouble with at times in 2003.

?Obviously, the early conference wins (last year) were a huge confidence boost for the kids,? said Dawson, referring to a pair of one-run victories against Tulsa to open the WAC season.

?Unfortunately, I still think we might struggle with confidence again this year because we are very result-oriented. When we win, it?s ?Oh, we can do this.? And it?s not necessarily an expectation going into the majority of our contests. That?s something we have to change.?

In addition to the mental shortcomings, costly errors in the field were also a big part of Tech?s downfall in many close games during the season as 103 errors led to 88 unearned runs which in turn decided many of the 16 losses the Lady Techsters suffered by two runs or less.

However, Dawson hopes that the vast experience Tech returns will prove beneficial this season as all 14 letter winners from last year?s squad return, including fifth-year senior pitcher Marla Pinkston who will anchor the Lady Techster staff. With six seniors wrapping up their Lady Techster careers in 2004, Dawson said she hopes one of their goals will be to use this final season to mentor the younger players.

?Year No. 2 is critical in that we are going to lose some people to graduation after this year,? Dawson said. ?It is important that these seniors pass along the good things about this program. That?s been my challenge to them.

?I?m not going to change the complete identity of this program. I want these young ladies who have been here for four years to pass things along to the younger players so there is some continuity.?

Joining the 14 returning letter winners will be an influx of eight newcomers as well as returning two-year letter winner Lindsay Meadows, who sat out last season.

?We are getting some fresh blood in here,? Dawson said. ?Players that haven?t gone through some of the tough times; kids who will come in with high expectations. I think the combination of the two will be a positive thing for this program.?

Pitchers

One of Louisiana Tech?s strengths heading into 2004 will be experience on the mound as Louisiana Tech returns four players who have logged at least 150 collegiate innings on the mound.

Senior Marla Pinkston, senior Sabra Warner, junior Lindsey Meadows and sophomore Kristin Rupp welcome incoming freshman Kristin Blodgette to form a deep and talented staff.

Head coach Sarah Dawson said that all five pitchers would see action early in the season, which will help her determine where her rotations stands.

?Marla is our No. 1 heading into the season,? Dawson said. ?It?s just a matter of who is going to step up and be our No. 2. We play four tournaments in February so we will have to rely on everyone, and I think things will fall into place. I don?t go into a season thinking we have a strict rotation. I try to match our strengths against our opponent?s strengths.?

Pinkston returns for a fifth season -- the senior received a medical red-shirt after pitching in six games in 2002 before suffering a season-ending injury -- and has already logged over 490 innings during her career. The Forney, Texas, native was Tech?s No. 1 last season, recording an 11-18 mark and a 2.29 earned run average in 40 appearances.

The 23-year-old, who will be one of three team captains this year, relies on her speed as well as a change up to keep batters off balance.

?Marla is very excited about coming back for another season,? Dawson said. ?I think at the end of last year reality set in that, ?Hey, I?m not going to be able to do this again? and that helped change her mind about coming back for a fifth season. I think she is going to offer great leadership on the mound.

?Last year it was evident how differently the other players reacted to Marla being on the mound as opposed to the other pitchers. They just have a ton of confidence in Marla and for good reason. She has continued to work very hard developing her pitches and getting more consistent. I?m thrilled to have her back.?

Warner hopes to rebound after a disappointing junior campaign that saw her struggle on the mound, recording a 0-5 mark and a 5.20 earned run average. The Santee, Calif., native allowed 54 base runners in only 33 innings and simply never got on track. Warner showed her ability as a sophomore when she registered a 2.08 ERA and five wins in just over 114 innings of work.

?Sabra struggled last year with her confidence and that limited a lot of her pitching time,? said Dawsonof Warner, whose out pitch is a curve ball. ?At the end of the season she started to come around and this fall she looked even stronger.

?I still think there are some improvements she needs to make; the biggest obstacle is lack of consistency. Once she proves that she can be consistent on the mound and we know what to expect, then I would like to see her get more playing time than she did last year.?

Because of Warner?s struggles on the mound, Rupp received a lot more playing time than Dawson had anticipated for the true freshman. Rupp responded, recording five wins and a 2.87 earned run average and even more importantly, logging 151 innings.

?Kristin was our No. 2 pitcher last year behind Marla,? Dawson said. ?Just like any other freshman in her first year of college, she took her lumps. I think she has matured a lot since last year. She was probably neck and neck with Marla as far her performance this fall.

?Kristin has an incredible drop ball and when that pitch is on she can be very, very difficult to hit. She has worked hard to develop a changeup this summer. Last year she was just thrown out there and it was sink or swim because we weren?t able to get Sabra out there as much. Kristen got more innings than we expected from her going into the season, and at the end of the season she got tired. The college season the first time around is incredibly long, but I think she will benefit in the future from all the work.?

Meadows will return to the mound for Tech after a year off from the game. During her first two years for the Lady Techsters, Meadows, who won?t be eligible until March, registered a 22-24 mark while allowing only 274 hits in 313 innings with 297 strikeouts and only 54 walks. The Baker, La., native, who Dawson said is a thinking man?s pitcher who sets up batters, has recorded a career earned run average of 2.39.

?Lindsey is returning to us after sitting out last year,? Dawson said. ?She has one of those arms that can throw, throw and throw; a very consistent performer. She isn?t an absolute fireballer out there but she is going to give her defense a chance. She had a pretty good fall for us considering she is coming off a year where she hasn?t faced any competition. She was a little rusty at times but then settled down and pitched much better.?

Blodgette joins the Louisiana Tech program out of Heritage High School in Vancouver, Wash., where she earned first team all-conference honors three years while being named the league MVP her senior season.
Dawson said that the former all-stater?s repertoire consists of a curve ball and drop ball and that one of her strength?s is keeping the ball away from batters.

?Kristin is a young lady who has a lot of potential,? said Dawson, who also said Blodgette could see some time at first base. ?She is 6-foot tall; she is not a little rail; she is a very strong, very gifted athlete. I expect to see her in the lineup as well, not just pitching. We knew coming in that there would be some mechanical changes that we would need to make; a lot on the pitching end that we would refine. She has worked very, very hard this fall and is ahead of schedule.

?She has picked up things very quickly. With Lindsey not being in the mix until March it will give Kristen a chance to get some work. I think we can protect Kristen this year and put her in situations where she will experience some success.?

Outfield

Dawson?s squad returns all three starters from last year, including first team All-Western Athletic Conference member Brittany Stanley in left field as well as speedsters Amber Miles in center field and Aimee Coleman in right field. Adding depth in the Tech outfield this season will be Leah Beasley, Ashley Cameron, Jessica Elson and Ashley Johnston.

Stanley earned her league postseason accolades following a sophomore campaign that saw her lead the team and rank No. 8 in the WAC with a .308 batting average and a team- and WAC-best 17 stolen bases. The Sulphur, La., native registered 61 hits, 22 runs and 13 RBI while seeing action in all 58 games.

?Brittany led the team in almost every statistical category last year,? Dawson said. ?She led off for us, and I expect her to lead off again. She has great speed in the outfield, both her and Amber. As I get a better feel for her and Amber and they continue to develop their skills, we will look to run more on the base paths.

?Both of them have worked on hitting for power and working on a bunting game where before they both were one-dimensional and just slap the ball. If they both can get efficient in all three phases, it opens up what we can do as far as the running game is concerned.?

Miles also saw action in all 58 games for the Techsters while batting .258 with 49 hits, 20 runs and 16 steals, which ranked No. 2 in the WAC.
The Dallas, Texas, native registered 24 multi-hit games while also excelling in the outfield where she only recorded one error all season long while posting a .986 fielding percentage.

?Amber is a great leader on the field for us,? said Dawson of Miles, who will be one of three team captains this year. ?She is one of our captains, and I think she has really done a great job of being a leader. She is the anchor of our outfield. She does a great job of talking behind the pitcher and keeping everyone in the game. She has a very upbeat personality and keeps everything positive.?

Tech?s third returning outfield starter is senior Aimee Coleman, who started 55 games for the Lady Techsters. Coleman struggled offensively early in the season, batting .135 in pre-conference action before heating up and registering a .286 batting average in 20 WAC contests.
The Bossier, La., native recorded 24 hits, 10 runs and six steals on the year.

?Aimee started the majority of games in right field last year,? Dawson said. ?With her at the No. 9 position in the batting order right before Brittany and Amber, there is a lot of run production possibilities with those three together. She has a great arm and good speed. Moving to right field last year was an adjustment for her. She had been a center fielder before that, and she had a lot to learn. I think she feels more comfortable in right field now.?

Providing depth in right field for Tech is local product Leah Beasley, a junior who prepped at Ruston High School. Beasley saw action in 15 games for the Lady Techsters as a sophomore, starting four. In limited action, Beasley collected a pair of hits in 15 at bats, including a double.

?Leah split some time in right field for us,? Dawson said. ?She has great potential at the plate. We have worked hard getting her more confident and more consistent in her at bats. That is the one thing she has over the other outfielders; she gives us more of a power possibility. She has a great arm for right field.?

Three newcomers will add depth to the Tech outfield led by freshman Ashley Cameron from Teurlings Catholic High School in Abbeville, La., who is set to see some time in both right field and left field this season. Cameron helped lead her team to district championships in 2000 and 2001 for head coach Kim Hebert.

?Ashley has by far the best arm on the entire team,? Dawson said. ?She has good speed; deceptive speed for her size. She is our one pure home run hitter.?

Another freshman that will eventually play some shortstop for the Techsters but for now will see time in the outfield is Jessica Elson.
The Plano, Texas, native hit .506 her senior year at Plano High School where she was named to the District 9-5A first team and earned all-state honors as well.

?Jessica is a back up shortstop but outfield is where she would play this year,? Dawson said. ?She is a power-type hitter; she would play more for her bat than her defense since she isn?t as fast as the other outfielders. She was consistent offensively this fall.?

The final piece of the outfield puzzle is junior college transfer Ashley Johnston, who walked on after playing at Bossier Parish Community College and prepping at West Monroe High School. Johnston earned all-district, all-Northeast Louisiana and all-state honors during her playing days as a Rebel, helping guide coach Amy Daigle?s team to the 1999 state championship.

?Ashley is a junior college transfer who will be used a lot as a pinch runner,? Dawson said. ?She will also provide us some depth in the outfield.?

Catcher

Two experienced catchers return for Louisiana Tech this year along with the addition of a talented true freshman as Sarah Dawson will boast a number of options behind the plate.

Senior Erin Chernicky, junior Ashley Aycock and freshman Christine Echols will all vie for playing time heading into the 2004 season.
Chernicky enters her final season having seen action in 136 games during her career, including making 131 starts at either catcher or as the designated hitter. Despite not being one of Tech?s top offensive threats, the Channelview, Texas, native brings so much more to the position, according to Dawson.

?Erin came back a lot stronger in the fall and that was where she struggled last year with her arm strength and also at the plate,? Dawson said. ?This fall she looked awesome. I think she wants to have a great senior year. Erin is a huge leader for us on the field; she has a lot of game experience and knows her pitching staff really well. When he wasn?t behind the plate last year that was what we missed.?

Aycock enters her second year at Tech after transferring from Augusta State following her freshman campaign. During her first season with the Lady Techsters, Aycock hit a mere .195 but led Tech with 20 runs batted in while playing in 56 games, making 52 starts at catcher, first base and as the designated hitter. Aycock also showed a good glove, registering a .986 fielding percentage making only four errors in 285 chances.

?Ashley will play some catcher and some first base for us,? Dawson said. ?I think she is more confident behind the plate now after a year of experience. She has a different personality than Erin; not as vocal. She is one of our top run producers from last year. Whether it is behind the plate or at first base, we expect to see Ashley somewhere in the heart of our lineup.?

Echols signed with Tech following an impressive prep career at La Costa Canyon High School in Encinitas, Calif., where she was a four-year varsity starter and helped lead the Lady Mavericks to the 2001 CIF Division I championship as well as the 2002 CIF Division I finals. She earned all-league honors as a junior and senior while compiling a .365 career batting average.

?Christine is a catcher in the same mold as Erin as far as being a leader for this team down the road,? Dawson said. ?She doesn?t have a weakness behind the plate; she has a good arm and blocks well. It?s just a matter of her getting experience and getting to know our pitchers better. She also did well for us offensively in the fall.?

Middle Infielders

First team All-Western Athletic Conference second baseman Mary Cohn headlines a solid group of middle infielders returning for the Lady Techsters and Dawson. Three-year starting senior Casey Reiff is also back to anchor the Tech infield from a shortstop position that she took over midway through last season.

Cohn earned her postseason honors following a freshman campaign that saw her hit .232 for the year, and an impressive .283 during league play. The Friendswood, Texas, native scored 13 runs while ranking third on the team with eight doubles, making 57 starts on the season.

?Mary comes back with a little more competition at her position this year,? Dawson said. ?I think that has helped her raise her game to another level. Whereas last year, it was Mary and no one, this year she knows she has competition. She was one of our top hitters in conference play, and I hope this year she can post those numbers all season long. She has a great swing and a good eye at the plate.?

True freshman Nikki Ducey will provide the competition at second base this year, signing with the Lady Techsters after a stellar high school career at Central Private High School. The Zachary, La., native helped lead the Lady Rebels to the 2000 and 2001 state titles while also playing for the (AAU) Louisiana Stingers during the summer.

?Nikki is a utility type of player, but second base is probably the position where she will see most of her time. She is a kid that plays hard; a gutsy type of player. She battled some injuries this fall but she is a great competitor. Where she might be a step quicker than Mary; she has to improve offensively. She will give us some good depth at second base.?

Reiff has a solid hold on shortstop heading into the season but must improve on her fielding percentage for Louisiana Tech to be successful. To Reiff?s defense, the former Blue Valley High School prep star was the starting third baseman before being moved to shortstop due to a teammate?s injury. The Stanley, Kansas, native is one of Tech?s top offensive players, hitting .234 for the year with 20 runs, 19 runs batted in, a team-best nine doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. Reiff?s .346 slugging percentage also ranked second on the team.

?Casey will be our starting shortstop, a position she took over halfway through last year when Jen LaRussa was injured,? Dawson said. ?It took some getting used to; she was originally at third, but I think she is better suited for this position because we can utilize her range.

?She is a quick, quick kid who has an absolute cannon attached to her right shoulder. It?s a matter of keeping that cannon under control and zeroed in on the target. I think she has worked hard to fix some of the mechanical and mental problems she had last year.?

Freshman Jessica Elson, who will see most of her time this year in the outfield, will back Reiff up at shortstop.

Corner Infielders

Louisiana Tech?s first base duties during the 2004 season will be handled by the combination of Alison White, Briley Brasher and possibly Kristin Blodgette.

White returns for her sophomore season after seeing action in 50 games for the Lady Techsters as a true freshman. The Irving, Texas, native made 48 starts at either first base or as the team?s designated player, collecting 21 hits, including a team-best three home runs as well as 16 runs batted in. White opened her collegiate career with a home run and five RBIs in a 7-6 win over Centenary.

?Alison played some first base last year and is already looking more athletic this year,? Dawson said. ?We had problems last year at first base, and a big part of it was because we were young at the position. Alison worked hard on her defensive skills this fall and is one of our power hitters so we need her in the lineup.?

Brasher is a local product that prepped at Ruston High School under coach Ricky Goulart. The true freshman earned all-district honors four years as well as all-state accolades as a sophomore, junior and senior. Brasher helped lead the Lady Bearcats to three district titles and two appearances in the state semifinals.

?Briley is 6-foot tall so her height plays to her advantage,? Dawson said. ?I just think it is a matter of her offensive production matching what she can do defensively for us. I think she can learn a lot from the players ahead of her. Another thing Briley has going for her is that she is a hard worker and will do what it takes to get better.?

In addition to seeing time on the mound for the Techsters, Kristin Blodgette could also contribute at first base for Tech this year.
Senior Jen LaRussa, sophomore Bridget Broadnax and junior transfer Ashley Palma will all vie for playing time at the hot corner for the Lady Techsters this year as Dawson has plenty of experienced options at the position.

LaRussa, who actually played shortstop for the Lady Techsters during the first two and a half seasons, saw action in 27 games in 2003 before suffering a season-ending injury. Due to the injury, Dawson said she felt the El Cajon, Calif., native was now more suited to play third base. LaRussa, who is one of the three captains for the Techsters, batted a career best .256 prior to her injury last year.

?Jen may see some time at shortstop but she is more suited for third base, especially coming off of her injury from last year,? Dawson said. ?Jen is one of those kids you just want somewhere on the field because she is such a competitor. She has made the transition to third where her range isn?t affected as much by her injury. The one thing that Jen carries over from her days as a shortstop is her quick release; she gets rid of the ball very quickly.?

Broadnax saw plenty of action during her freshman year, playing in 57 games while making 55 starts at either third base or as the designated player for the Lady Techsters. The Dallas, Texas, native hit .228 during the season with a team-best nine doubles, two triple and two home runs while driving in 13 runners and scoring 14 times. Broadnax led Tech with a .346 slugging percentage.

?Bridget really surprised us all this fall,? Dawson said. ?Last year she was coming off of shoulder surgery and wasn?t 100 percent. Due to injuries, we had to put Bridget at third base even though she wasn?t completely healthy. She came back this fall healthy and what a difference it has made. Before, if she didn?t field the ball cleanly, we were in trouble. Our bunt defense was very vulnerable last year. Defensively, I feel a lot more confident in her this year. She is one of our power hitters; she has definite home run potential.?

The final piece of the third base puzzle will be Palma, a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe. Last season Palma played in 40 games for the Lady Indians, starting 36 of them at third base or as the designated player.
The Pasadena, Texas, native hit .211 while recording seven doubles and one home run, a go-ahead shot in a game against Louisiana Tech.

?Ashley has always been a good hitter when I coached her over at UL-Monroe,? Dawson said. ?Last year she hit a home run against us to put their team up so I?m glad we don?t have to face her anymore. The one thing that limited her playing time over at Monroe was her defense. That is the one thing we have really worked on, improving her glove and her throwing mechanics.