Season Preview: Softball returns several key players, seeks third straight OAC Tournament title
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team is eager to get the 2023 season underway as it seeks a third straight Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament championship under seventh-year head coach Jackie Price.
"We're excited for the 2023 season because we return a lot of key players that led us to the success we had last year," Price said. "The chemistry this team is already showing is phenomenal, and I cannot wait to see what they do on the field. We are excited but know we have a big target on our backs this year, especially in conference, so we must bring our best to every game this season."
The Polar Bears are coming off a 2022 season that saw them finish with a 24-11 record, including a 16-2 mark in the OAC, and earn conference regular-season and tournament titles en route to claiming a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Northern closed the year ranked just outside the top 25 in the NFCA poll after falling to Millikin (Ill.) and Alma (Mich.) in the national tournament and are hungry to return to the NCAAs this season.
"As a team, we were a little disappointed in how we played at Regionals because that's not the team we were last year," Price said. "I think a lot of our upperclassmen are eager to get back there so we can show everyone who we really are. The end of the season last year will definitely play a role in motivation for this season."
Northern returns 10 letter winners from last season, including four All-OAC honorees in seniors Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) and Allie Bican (Solon), junior Kaylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic) and sophomore Ashley Lenser (Brookville).
The Polar Bears also return fifth-year senior Abby Elliott (Loveland/Ursuline) and seniors Annika Murray (Hilliard/Bradley) and Lauren Walls (Grove City), all of whom started 24-plus games in 2022.
In all, the 2023 roster includes five seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen.
Here is a breakdown of the 2023 Ohio Northern softball team, by position group.
Infield
Motylinski headlines the ONU infield for 2023 after starting 33 games and earning All-OAC First Team honors last season. The three-year letter winner is a two-time All-OAC honoree, as she earned Second Team recognition in 2021.
A third baseman, Motylinski finished last season with 26 hits, including five doubles, to go with 14 runs and 17 RBIs while batting .277 and posting a .905 fielding percentage.
A career .322 hitter, Motylinski has 12 career home runs, which is two shy of breaking into the top 10 all-time at ONU. In 77 games at ONU, she has 76 hits, 13 doubles, 53 runs and 53 RBIs.
Another three-year letter winner, Murray has started 77 games at second base in her ONU career. She is a career .247 hitter with 49 hits, six doubles, four home runs, 37 runs and 19 RBIs with a .944 fielding percentage.
Sophomore Taylor Hilty (Kettering/Fairmont) also returns to the infield after playing in 21 games and getting 18 starts between second base, shortstop and designated player in 2022. She batted .229 with 11 hits, three runs and eight RBIs as a freshman.
Sophomores Chandler Clark (Lima/Bath) and Bella Spano (Vienna/Mathews) and freshmen Hailey Fraser (Erie, Colo.) and Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta) round out the position group.
"We have some key infielders returning, but we also lost some as well. I think it will be interesting to see who steps up in the infield since we will be young at that position," Price said. "I think we have the talent to do it as well as some experience still in that position, so the mix of the two will be good."
Outfield
Elliott and Walls are the top returners to the ONU outfield in 2023.
A four-year letter winner, Elliott earned All-OAC Second Team recognition as a freshman and is a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree. She started 34 games in 2022 and batted .283 with 32 hits, seven doubles, 26 runs and 12 RBIs.
A career .307 hitter, Elliott has 118 hits, 22 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 74 runs and 58 RBIs in 125 games at ONU. Her 118 hits rank 29th in program history.
Walls played in 28 games with 24 starts last season and tallied 10 hits, eight runs and six RBIs. She has 16 hits, 18 runs and 14 RBIs in 49 career games.
Sophomore Mariana Alejandro (Gibsonburg) also returns to the outfield. She appeared in 24 games with 11 starts in 2022 and got several opportunities as a pinch runner.
Freshman Lainie Howell (Upper Sandusky/Riverdale) joins the outfield group along with freshman Olivia Villies (Pickerington/Central), who is also listed as a catcher.
"Our outfield should be solid this season," Price said. "We have tons of experience out there as well as some new faces, and seeing the two work together has been great so far in the preseason. I think our outfield will be strong this season, and I'm excited to see what they do."
Pitchers
Lenser and Bican return to the Polar Bears' pitching staff after earning All-OAC status last season.
Lenser had a spectacular 2022 that saw her earn a pair of OAC Player of the Week accolades during the season en route to being named the OAC Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year as a member of the All-OAC First Team. She was also named to the All-OAC Tournament Team and NFCA All-Region VII Second Team.
Lenser finished the season with a 12-4 record, 1.46 ERA, two saves and a 74-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 110.1 innings spanning 18 appearances in the circle, including 14 complete games. She posted six shutouts, including a no-hitter at Muskingum, and was also productive at the plate, batting .307.
Lenser finished 2022 with the best ERA in the OAC and the ninth-best single-season ERA in program history. She also led the conference in complete-game outings, tied for third in wins and ranked ninth in strikeouts.
Bican finished second to Lenser in the OAC with a 2.10 ERA and was 6-1 with one save and 41 strikeouts over 53.1 innings spanning 10 appearances in the circle, including seven starts and five complete games. Her junior season was highlighted by her five-inning no-hitter against John Carroll.
Through three seasons at ONU, Bican is 12-10 overall with a 2.97 ERA in 172 innings over 34 appearances, including 24 starts. She ranks 11th all-time in career strikeouts with 159.
Junior Demi Sauter (Upper Arlington), sophomore Kayla Runyon (Tipp City) and freshman Shelby Marstellar (Lima/Bath) round out the pitching staff for 2023.
"Obviously we have our two All-Conference pitchers coming back, which is always huge, and I think both of them will do a great job this season, especially following the seasons they had last year," Price said. "But I also think with the mix of some of our other pitchers we will be able to throw people off, so I am excited to see what the pitching unit can do this season."
Catchers
Griffin returns behind the plate after earning All-OAC First Team, All-OAC Tournament Team and NFCA All-Region VII Second Team accolades last season.
She started 32 games in 2022 and led the team in batting average (.411), runs (32), hits (44), home runs (6) and RBIs (27) and tied for the team lead in doubles (7). She ranked third in the OAC in in batting average, fourth in home runs, fifth in runs, tied for ninth in hits and was 10th in RBIs. Griffin is a career .387 hitter in 42 games at ONU.
Sophomore Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville) also returns at catcher. She saw action in 17 games with 10 starts behind the plate and at designated player in 2022, batting .268 with eight hits and five RBIs.
Freshman Kylie King (London/Jonathan Alder) provides additional depth at the position.
"Our catching unit has been great the last few years," Price said. "Having Kaylie and Callie behind the plate for us has been huge. They both command the infield and take control, which is awesome. They have been such a huge part in our success, and we're excited to add Kylie into the mix as well. I think our catchers will do a great job for us both defensively and offensively this season."
Schedule
The Polar Bears open their 2023 campaign with their trip to Florida for the Spring Games from March 12-17 during Spring Break.
The trip is highlighted by games against No. 11 Case Western Reserve on March 12 and No. 20 Babson (Mass.) on March 13.
After that 10-game stretch, Northern returns to Ada for a six-game home stand with doubleheaders against Calvin (Mich.), No. 2 Trine (Ind.) and Alma (Mich.) on March 24, 25 and 29, respectively.
ONU opens OAC play with a doubleheader at Marietta on April 1. Northern will also play OAC doubleheaders at Wilmington, John Carroll and Mount Union.
The Polar Bears' OAC home opener is a doubleheader with Baldwin Wallace on April 4. ONU will also host doubleheaders against OAC foes Muskingum, Otterbein, Capital and Heidelberg.
Other non-conference games include doubleheaders against Mount Saint Joseph, Wittenberg and Wooster.
The 2023 OAC Tournament is scheduled for May 11-13.