Gritty Lancers bring experience and depth to new softball season

The 2015 softball season started with a lot of trial and error for the Belleville East Lancers and coach Natalie Peters.

But once the starters settled into their positions and a lineup dominated by sophomores and juniors found its stroke, the Lancers were able to rally from a 1-6 start to 24 wins and an unforgettable regional championship.

Peters faces far fewer mysteries this spring.

The bulk of that gritty team is back —minus departed first baseman Annie Eversman and centerfielder Tawnee Kramer — and loaded with added depth. That extra year of experience invites a higher level of expectation.

"You don't know what a team is going to produce until you get them on the field, but it's a whole different approach than it was a year ago," said Peters, whose Lancers are off to a 4-1 start in 2016. "We think we should be starting at a higher level, but we want to see the same type of improvement we saw last year so that we can end on a higher note."

The question for any team in the Southwestern Conference is how much ground did it make against the Edwardsville Tigers, who have captured berths to the Normal Super-Sectional in consecutive years. The Lancers last won a sectional championship in 2013.

Peters isn’t biting on comparisons between her team and the Tigers, though, prefering instead to push incremental game-to-game improvement toward the post-season, then letting the competition take care of itself.

"We have nine seniors on our roster so obviously we're a more experienced team this year, but I try to stress that this is a brand-new year,” Peters said. “We did a lot of great things last year and we improved a lot as the year went on. Our goal is to always be at the top of the conference. We haven't quite been where we want to be the last few years, but we're pushing.

"I can tell you in my years here, I've never had a group as motivated as this one."

Pitching

Angela Vanderpluym carried the bulk of the innings (145.3) last season and finished with a 14-8 record and 2.60 earned-run average. Now a senior, she'll be the leader in the circle again.

"Ang is a very crafty pitcher, obviously, but she's not afraid to attack batters," Peters said. "That's what made her so successful last year — she threw her pitches and trusted her defense behind her."

Senior Tori Lonsdale also pitched 80 innings last season with a 10-4 record and 3.15 ERA, and will continue in the mix in 2016. Kristina Bettis, a sophomore, also will take the ball for Lancers. She threw 12.7 innings last season as a freshman.

"All three pitchers have good pitches and all worked extremely hard in the off-season," Peters said. "We'll definitely be using all three of them in a lot of different situations."

Who's on first?

The graduation of Eversman, who hit .301 with 20 RBI as a senior last spring, leaves the only real question mark in the Lancer lineup at first base. Contending for that role are Bettis and sophomore classmate Kendall Patton.

"Both of those kids, we can put anywhere and they'll be successful," Peters said.

Junior Tori McKinney also will get a look as the starter.

"We'll get our feet wet with a few games and make some decisions," said Peters.

Catcher

Alex Boze was given every opportunity to win the starting job beind the plate as a freshman last season and she came through beyond expectation. Her 14 doubles, seven home runs and 45 RBI all were team-highs and good enough to earn her BND All-Area second team honors. Her .395 batting average was third on the team.

"We knew Alex was a really strong player, but to come in and catch in the Southwestern Conference and do it as well as she did it, is beyond what we could have reasonably expected," Peters said.

Infield

Boze's emergence forced Jessica Belzer to third base, where the junior has fit right in, earning all-area first-team honors. She led the Lancers with a .440 average and added 30 RBI. It was her singles in back-to-back regional games that drove home the winning runs against O'Fallon and Belleville West.

Lindsey Mossman will be a fourth-year starter at shortstop. She returns a little stronger this season having spent considerable and noticable time in the weight room. Mossman drove in 26 runs last year, but it is her defense that continues to impress.

"She is in my opinion one of the best high school shortstops I've ever seen," said Peters. "She gets to balls she fields flat on her feet that a lot of kids may not even get to. She's got a great arm. She's a true shortstop."

Brooke Laidley returns to second base, a spot she's anchored for three seasons despite a series of knee injuries. She hit .294 with nine doubles a year ago.

Senior Lauren Westerfield adds backup to the East infield.

Outfield

Seniors Quiozha "Q" Alexander (.397/18 runs) and Becca Dahm (.282, 12 RBI) will return to their starting spots in the outfield corners.

Junior Amanda Dermody (.360, 3 doubles, 4 triples, a homerun), who served as the Lancers designated player through the second half of last season, has the inside track on replacing Kramer in center.

"She's a very strong outfielder, has great arm and is super coachable," Peters said. "She has pop in her bat and some speed. She's just a complete package of a player."

But all three slated starters will feel pressure from a deep slate of quality outfielders. Sierrah Baffa, a senior transfer from Kansas, and Courtney Butler (.357 in 14 at-bats) also will press for playing time.

"A couple of juniors —Ally Blombert and Savannah Watts — give us seven quality outfielders and it's really been a dogfight, even for the ones who are returning starters," Peters said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Gritty Lancers bring experience and depth to new softball season."