Simply put, Shippensburg softball has established a tradition of excellence. With 114 wins and 49 conference victories over the last three seasons, one very important trend is evident: the Shippensburg softball team knows how to win and the group will continue to do so for many years to come.

While the 2007 season featured 30 wins and 12 victories in the terribly difficult PSAC Eastern Division, Shippensburg will look to match its production of previous campaigns in which it averaged 42 wins per season and advanced to the PSAC Softball Championship each year.

The Lady Raiders will enter the season with an interesting mix of players that includes five seniors and six freshmen on a 16-player squad united as a group and whose versatility will allow it to excel in 2008.

When it comes to a group of captains to help anchor a squad, you won’t find a much more motivated and passionate group of athletes than Dani Shields, Sarah Stengl, Jill Kirby, Liz Good and Amanda Bardo. Their hustle and determination will be evident throughout each and every game of the 2008 season.

"We have an absolutely tremendous senior class with outstanding leadership qualities,” head coach Bob Brookens says of the five seniors gracing the 2008 roster. “They have done an amazing job of making adjustments throughout the years as well as easing the transitions of the six new freshmen joining the roster this season.”

In addition to the seniors, Shippensburg possesses five players at the sophomore or junior level whose roles are equally integral to the success of this year’s squad. Part of any successful group is its core, and the nucleus of the Lady Raiders could not be any stronger with the impact players in their second and third seasons.

Additionally, the impact of the talented freshman class brought in by Brookens will also determine whether an already strong team can become phenomenal.

"We have such a strong class of players joining the team this year,” Brookens said of his six potentially impact freshmen. “I am really excited for what they will bring to the table.”

No matter where the players end up on the field, however, observers will see a highly motivated and united group of Lady Raiders in 2008 that are ready to preserve the historic tradition of Shippensburg softball and leave everything they have out on the field.

PITCHING

The tradition of excellence inside the circle has been maintained at Shippensburg University for decades. Over the past three seasons, the Lady Raiders have relinquished just 344 runs and held opponents to a .202 batting average. In 2008, four Lady Raiders are expected to make significant contributions and preserve the legacy of pitching consistency at Shippensburg.

Senior Dani Shields returns for her final season to anchor the staff and the veteran pitcher is nearing several career milestones. Shields is just eight games shy of reaching third-place all time in school history, and is just 11 strikeouts shy of second-place in the Lady Raider record books.

Shields posted a 15-8 mark last season and fanned 210 batters, the third-largest total in Shippensburg single season history. She will look to duplicate her success of years passed in her final season for the Lady Raiders and is 17 games shy of 100 for her career.

Fellow senior Jill Kirby will also be looked upon for a more significant contribution from the circle after throwing a career-high 52.1 innings one year ago. She recorded her first career shutout last season by throwing a one-hitter with seven strikeouts against Columbia Union and will look to emulate that success in her final campaign with the Lady Raiders.

Kirby has recorded six career victories and is very comfortable with her command, having walked just 10 batters over the course of 80 career innings.

The extremely versatile junior Lori Knopf will once again be looked upon to provide innings from the circle after posting a 2.55 ERA in 82.1 innings a season ago. After making just two appearances in the circle as a freshman, Knopf started 12 games as a sophomore and made five appearances in relief.

Knopf proved she has the durability in her arm to pitch an entire game, slugging through 8.1 innings in one start last year against Tiffin and throwing three consecutive complete games over a four-day stretch.

The newest Lady Raider ready to make an impact in the circle is freshman Dana Ward, who is fresh off a stellar high-school campaign in Maryland. A veteran of Sherwood High School, Ward completed two seasons of varsity high school ball with a 26-5 record a career ERA of 0.83 in 211 innings.

Between her travel team and high school career, Ward struck out 871 batters in 564 innings and recorded a complete game in all 31 of her high-school starts. She will be asked to make immediate contributions for Shippensburg in her debut season.

CATCHING

Junior Rachelle Wedell is expected to once again patrol the backstop and receive a majority of the starts but will be spelled by upstart sophomore Lisamarie Ramagli, who made an immediate impact one season ago.

Wedell made 52 starts as a sophomore and posted a .304 batting average that was the third highest among regulars. She is adept at laying down the sacrifice as well, converting a team-high seven last season, while committing just four errors and posting a .986 fielding percentage.

Ramagli will see a majority of her playing time at first base, but is an equally solid defensive backstop having committed just one error in 42 games as a freshman. Like Wedell, Ramagli is also talented with the bat and adds a source of power, having clubbed six home runs and finishing second on the team with a .504 slugging percentage as a freshman.

INFIELD

The core of the freshman class can be found inside the diamond, where three newcomers are expected to make significant contributions throughout the season.

The nucleus of the group is senior Amanda Bardo, who has shifted over to second base following repercussions from major surgery on her throwing arm. An integral utility player that can grab a glove and contribute from any infield position, Bardo is a valuable leader whose bat will be near the heart of the lineup after hitting five home runs and compiling an on-base percentage of .372.

The aforementioned Lisamarie Ramagli will see a majority of the starts at first base after a dynamite debut season with the bat, while Lori Knopf will also see time at the position when she is not inside the circle. The duo combined for eight home runs and 29 RBIs a season ago.

Versatility is one of the strongest traits of sophomore Oceanna DeBaro, who made 10 starts and appeared throughout the diamond as a freshman for the Lady Raiders. Primarily a second baseman, DeBaro can play throughout the infield and provide an excellent defensive presence. Additionally, she is solid with the bat, lacing an RBI single in her third career at-bat and making solid contact at the plate.

The three extraordinary freshmen will be looked upon for a healthy amount of playing time at their respective positions. Manning the hot corner will be freshman Courtney Steele, who is fresh off a high-school career in which she smacked 108 hits in 205 at-bats for a batting average of .527. She is expected to start and replicate her offensive prowess that produced 103 RBIs in high school.

Shortstop Hope Cornell, an alum of Sussex Technical School along with current senior Dani Shields, will be looked upon to form a potent double-play tandem up the middle of the diamond. Cornell posted a batting average of .396 while scoring 54 runs and totaling 56 RBIs in her high-school career, and will be ready to make an immediate impact in her debut season.

Freshman Moira Johnsen will be ready to step right in and play both second base and the outfield for the Lady Raiders after excelling at infield and outfield positions throughout her career. She recorded a .429 batting average and socked six home runs as a junior and will provide a strong bat that can fit in anywhere in the field.

OUTFIELD

Veteran leadership is plentiful all over the outfield. Two seniors and one junior return to their positions while two freshmen are ready and willing to make plays as well.

Senior Liz Good, an integral cog to Shippensburg’s outfield, appeared in 48 games as a junior and posted a .301 batting average for the Lady Raiders. Always fleet of foot, Good led the team with seven stolen bases and possesses outstanding defensive range. She can play either corner outfield position and will see significant playing time in her final season.

Fellow senior Sarah Stengl started in 52 games last season and did not commit one error all year long, cementing her status as an invaluable outfielder for the Lady Raiders. She hit four home runs and cracked 19 RBIs while scoring 17 runs, and like Good will patrol the corner outfield positions in 2008.

In center field, junior Chelsea Carson is back after finishing second among regulars a season ago with a .318 batting average in 42 games. After totaling 39 bases last year and committing just two errors, Carson’s range and knack for making contact will result in a healthy amount of playing time for her this season.

Freshman Jill Mullan broke the state record in Maryland for hits as a senior and thrived at Northeast High School, the same alma mater as current junior Rachelle Wedell. Mullan can play any of the three outfield positions and can be used as a defensive replacement when she is not starting.

Another newcomer ready to emerge for the Lady Raiders is freshman Margaret Sander, who was a four-sport athlete at Jersey Shore High School near Williamsport. Sander is a phenomenal defensive outfielder whose versatility will allow her to see time in the field throughout the season for Shippensburg.

If the situation arises, other players are able to step in and provide assistance and relief in the outfield. Cornell, Johnsen and Ward are all available to fill in at a corner outfield position or patrol the center of the field and may appear if they aren’t already busy in the infield.