Softball gunning for outstanding season in 2024
By Wes Mayberry
| 2024 Softball Schedule | 2024 Softball Roster |
ADA — Coming off a 19-17 campaign in 2023, the Ohio Northern softball team enters 2024 seeking its 11th straight winning season under eighth-year head coach Jackie Price.
Price, who was inducted into the ONU Athletics Hall of Fame in December in recognition of her many exploits on the softball field as a Polar Bear student-athlete, led Northern to a 9-9 record in Ohio Athletic Conference play in 2023. That marked the team's 17th straight upper-division finish in the conference standings, but the Polar Bears are eager to improve upon their fifth-place showing from a year ago.
"I think our team underperformed last season, which was disappointing. We have the talent to get the job done, and we just didn't," Price said. "I know this season we are ready to get back out there and work."
The Polar Bears are also excited for the opening of their new home stadium, which was funded through the generosity of lead donors and longtime university supporters Melinda (Durbin) Hileman and David Hileman, both of whom are ONU alums.
"We are extremely excited about the new stadium," Price said. "It is such a blessing to have people like Dave and Melinda who support us. We cannot thank them enough for what they have done for ONU softball. Our job now is to make them proud out on that field."
The team returns nine letter winners to the 2024 roster, which is highlighted by fifth-year senior Sydney Motylinski (Ida, Mich.) and juniors Ashley Lenser (Brookville) and Callie Rosser (Republic/Monroeville).
Motylinski is a three-time All-OAC honoree at third base, earning First Team recognition as a junior and Second Team accolades as a sophomore and senior. She finished the 2023 season with a .296 batting average, five doubles, five home runs, 13 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 34 games. She led the team in home runs and tied for the team lead in runs.
Motylinski is tied for fifth all-time at ONU in home runs with 17 as part of her 105 career hits, which ranks 39th in program history. She also has 18 doubles, two triples and 76 runs in 111 career games.
"I am extremely excited about Syd coming back for her fifth year. She has been a solid contributor on our team for years," Price said. "Her experience and leadership on the field is unmatched, and having her back is such a benefit not only to the current team but to the younger kids behind her learning from her."
Lenser was an All-OAC First Team selection for the second straight season in 2023, closing the year with a 10-8 record and one save in 20 appearances, including 18 starts and 17 complete games. In 124.1 innings, she posted a 2.14 ERA, which ranked fourth in the OAC, and tallied 60 strikeouts.
The highlight of her sophomore season came when she pitched three consecutive shutouts against Wilmington, John Carroll and Otterbein, marking the first time in 36 years that such a feat had been accomplished for the ONU softball program. In those three games, she combined to allow just 10 hits and three walks while collecting 14 strikeouts.
The OAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and an NFCA All-Region VII Second Team pick in 2022, Lenser is a four-time OAC Pitcher of the Week honoree with two career no-hitters. In two years at ONU, she boasts a 22-12 record with a 1.82 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 38 appearances, including 33 starts, spanning 234.2 innings. She ranks fifth all-time at ONU in career ERA and 12th in strikeouts and needs just five wins to join the program's all-time top 10 list in that category.
"Ashley has been solid for us ever since her freshman year. I expect her to come back and do the same and keep working," Price said. "She has been great in the circle as well as in the box. I am excited to see what she does this season."
Rosser was the Polar Bears' primary designated player in 2023 and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. She led the team in batting average (.320), hits (39) and steals (5) and tied for the team lead in RBIs (15) and runs (23) while adding six doubles and one home run in 34 games.
In 51 career games, Rosser has 47 hits, six doubles, one home run, 20 RBIs and 26 runs while batting .309.
"Callie has been our workhorse," Price said. "She came in as a freshman not seeing much time and put the work in to get stronger and better. She has owned our DP role the last few years, and I expect a lot out of her this season to lead us."
Other top returners include senior Kaylie Griffin (Grafton/Elyria Catholic), junior Taylor Hilty (Kettering/Fairmont) and sophomore Allie Wilson (Wapakoneta).
The team's primary catcher, Griffin was an All-OAC First Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team selection in 2022 and finished with a team-high seven doubles last season while batting .280 with 30 hits, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 14 runs in 34 games.
In three years at ONU, she has played in 76 games and has a career .336 batting average with 76 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 38 RBIs and 48 runs. In 2024, she will be seeking to become the 46th member of ONU's 100-Hit Club.
Hilty played in 34 games in 2023 and joined Rosser as a CSC Academic All-District honoree. She finished her sophomore campaign with a .217 batting average, 15 hits, one home run, four RBIs and nine runs while serving as the team's primary second baseman.
In 55 career games, she has a .222 average with 26 hits, one double, one home run, 12 RBIs and 12 runs.
Wilson is coming off a solid freshman season in 2023, batting .241 with 20 hits, five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs and 14 runs in 31 games as the team's primary first baseman.
The remaining returning letter winners include juniors Mariana Alejandro (Gibsonburg) and Chandler Clark (Lima/Bath) and sophomore Lainie Howell (Upper Sandusky/Riverdale).
Senior Demi Sauter (Upper Arlington), junior Kayla Runyon (Tipp City) and sophomores Kylie King (London/Jonathan Alder), Shelby Marstellar (Lima/Bath) and Olivia Villies (Pickerington/Central) round out the returners, and seven freshmen join the roster this season.
The Polar Bears open their 2024 season with their annual spring break trip in Florida in early March. That trip is followed by home doubleheaders against Hope (Mich.) on March 23, defending national champion Trine (Ind.) on March 24 and OAC foe Marietta on March 29.
Non-conference doubleheaders later in the season include those against Wooster on April 7, Calvin (Mich.) on April 23 and Mt. St. Joseph on April 30.
The regular season concludes with an OAC doubleheader at Heidelberg on May 4.
The OAC Tournament is scheduled for May 9-11.
"I am excited about this season's schedule," Price said. "It is definitely a tough one playing the defending national champions the week we get back from spring break, but I think it will definitely help prepare us. We are also playing a lot of regional competitors from last season, so this season will be a challenge for us."