MLC solid with 11 returnees

Knights optimistic despite not having any outside practice time

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- You might think the Martin Luther Knights are a little frustrated right now. After all, their softball season starts at 11 a.m. today when they travel to St. Paul for a pair of games against Bethel at the Rice-Arlington Sports Dome.

And even after those games are completed, they still won't have been outside yet.

But despite not having seen the light of day yet, the Knights are optimistic they have a bright future.

"I think we have the potential to be a solid team," MLC coach Barb Leopold said. "We have a lot of the same personnel coming back. Right now, there's going to be a couple of positions that we're going to be having to fill ... but I'm very optimistic. I feel we can be very competitive."

MLC does have a lot of returning talent from a team that went 11-24-1 last year. Of the 14 players on the roster, 11 are returnees.

Key among the returnees are three returning pitchers -- juniors Sarah Scharf of New Ulm, Jana Benrud of La Crosse, Wis., and Jenny Nommensen of Palmyra, Wis.

Scharf is the most experienced of the staff. She worked 50 2-3 innings last season, compiling a 3-6 record and a 5.39 ERA.

Benrud pitched 30 innings with a 0-4 record and a 5.37 ERA. Nommensen recorded a 3-0 record with a 6.92 ERA in 29 1-3 innings of work.

"I'm not sure yet who's going to be my No. 1 pitcher, and it really doesn't bother me at this point because I think the consistency is there," Leopold said. "All of them can throw a variety of pitches and it's just a matter of setting up a rotation and seeing how they work with it."

The Knights will have a new catcher this year. She's freshman Rachel Kassulke of Inver Grove Heights.

Catcher is just one of the spots to be filled this year. Erin Gray is expected to step in at first base; sophomore Jennifer Hafenstein and senior Hannah Berg are likely to split time at third.

Berg could also see time in left field along with Angie Jastrow. Benrud and Jill LaViolette will likely share the duties in right field.

The Knights will be experienced up the middle defensively, though. Senior Kelly Gawrisch and Nommensen return at shortstop and second base, respectively, and junior Renee Schiller returns in center field.

Penciling in names is one thing. Getting the players to work together is another, and it doesn't help that the Knights haven't been able to get outside yet.

But Berg -- a senior from New Ulm -- is positive.

"It is frustrating," Berg said, "but I think our team so far has been able to conquer that. ... Talking is a lot of it on defense. We do have new players coming into positions they haven't played before -- just communication with each other. That really is what a team is all about."

On the offensive side are three more reasons for Knight optimism. MLC returns arguably its three best hitters from 2000.

Both Nommensen and Schiller hit better than .300, and Gawrisch finished the season with a .294 batting average despite starting with a 1-for-17 slump. Schiller led the Knights who had at least 20 at-bats with a .351 average while Nommensen batted .326.

Berg hit .353 in limited duty last spring and Gray was a .375 hitter, also in limited at-bats. While it's hard to tell from just watching in the batting cage, Leopold thinks the three freshmen -- Kassulke, infielder Rachel Wilkens and outfielder Kelly Scheurerlein -- will be able to make contributions offensively, particularly Kassulke.

"Renee Schiller and Jenny Nommensen are going to be strong batters," Leopold added. "Erin Enter was off a year, but she's been a good strong hitter for us. Kelly Gawrisch has been a very good hitter for us. Her (2000) average may not show it, but she didn't have a chance to practice a whole lot before we went down to Florida. Her timing was off, but during the conference she was batting in the mid-.500s."

MLC, though, will have to replace the production lost with the graduations of Gena Schwartz and Nicole Glodowski. Schwartz and Glodowski each hit .333.

The Knights did lose seven players due to graduation or transfer. Carla LaBair, who pitched 28 1-3 innings and hit .208, will also not return this season due to a career-ending knee condition.

"We will be missing a few key players from our team from last year," Berg said. "But I think with the freshmen, who I'm very impressed with, and our veterans, I think we're going to be very competitive in comparison to last year.

"I hope this year we can overcome the hump that we've had in the last few years and get to the next level of competition and, of course, have fun."