Blue Devil softball team to open season on Valentine's Day

2014 UW-Stout Softball Statistics | Live Stats

MENOMONIE (February 13, 2015) – For the second consecutive season, the UW-Stout softball team opens their season on Valentine's Day playing the College of St. Benedict at St. Cloud, Minn. The doubleheader is scheduled to get underway at 6:30 p.m.
 
The 2014 season was a sweetheart of a year for the Blue Devil team that would go on to earn the top seed in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) as Stout put together a 27-12 overall record, one of the best finishes in school history.
 
The Blue Devils will need to find that certain something to repeat the success of 2014. Stout returns nine players from last season, with five of them garnering solid starting experience and the other returners playing key roles last year.
 
Everything in softball starts in the pitching circle and the Blue Devils return the WIAC pitcher of the year in junior Tori Workman (Prior Lake, Minn). Workman set the school single season strikeout last year, mowing down 160 batters throughout the season. Workman posted a 20-8 overall record, tossing 176.1 innings and garnering an impressive ERA of 1.63.
 
But after throwing one game in the conference tournament, Workman was injured and her season ended.
 
Workman has been recovering nicely, said Chris Stainer, who begins her 17th season as the Blue Devils' head coach. Stainer was the 2014 WIAC coach of the year and is four wins shy of recording her 300th career win.
 
"Tori is really in tune with her body," Stainer said. "She has really grown mentally as a pitcher over the off season."
 
Workman will be surrounded by an entirely new group of pitchers, as well as a new partner behind the plate after the graduation of four-year starting catcher Sam Hastings.
 
Joining Workman in the circle will be Beth Wood (Fr, Mineral Point), Wisconsin D3 pticher of the year, Abbey Ball (Fr, Austin, Minn) and McKayla Brunner (Fr, Arkansaw). Wood appears to be slated to complement Workman, while Ball and Brunner will be looking to roll into closer roles.
 
Gabby Gawreluk (Jr, St. Paul, Minn) has been with the Blue Devils for the past two seasons and has been a key catcher in the bull pen. Gawreluk will compete for the starting role with freshmen Shelby Weiske (Woodville) and Rachel Thomas (Hastings, Minn).
 
Whoever is catching will determine who is at third base, Stainer said.. If Weiske is not catching, she could move to the hot corner. Thomas is expected to be a strong player on both sides of the plate.

Amber Herrick (Fr, Augusta), Ball, Tyhler Kohn-Gallardo (Ham Lake, Minn) and transfer Mariah Diercks (So, Ellsworth) are all vying for  time at third base.
 
Taylor Workman (Sr, Prior Lake, Minn), the team's resident designated player the last two years and an all-conference and all-region selection as a sophomore, has been working well at first base and will be in competition with Heather Bol (So, Baldwin) at the spot. The two could alternate at the designated player position.
 
Lynzi Knudtson (Sr, Melrose), who last season finished third nationally in sacrifice hits with 19, will return to the shortstop position. Second base is open, and Kim Jablonski (So, Watertown) and Karley Wiensch (Jr, Chippewa Falls) are the top runners for the spot.

Jablonski saw action in 26 games last year, predominately as a pinch runner and occasional pinch batter. She stole three bases last year. Wiensch is in her first year with softball team, but is familiar to Blue Devil fans. Wiensch wrapped up a four-year career as the UW-Stout volleyball team's all-conference setter. Wiensch's high school softball team won a state title during her freshman year and were runner-up her senior season.
 
Nicole Rogers (Jr, Brooklyn Center, Minn) and Liz Seipel (So, Eau Claire) return to the outfield. Rogers, who is injured and will miss the first few games, played in all 39 games last year, starting 37. Seipel earned 13 starts, with most of those coming down the stretch run. Seipel batted .400 last year, going 14-of-35. Rogers has also served as a Blue Devil pitcher througout her career. Last year, she made five appearances in the circle.
 
Sara Griesbach (Jr, Stratford), Brunner, Jablonski, and Herrick and transfer Queen Harris (Jr, Miami, Fla) round out the contenders for the outfield.
 
"We lost some leadership from last year," Stainer said, "but this year's leadership has really stepped up. The freshmen have been pushed to where we can expect quite a bit out of them."
 
Knudtson returns for her second year as a team captain and is joined by Rogers and Taylor and Tori Workman..
 
The Blue Devils have seven freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors and two seniors.
 
"This team is young, but very talented," Stainer said.

In addition to the Valentine's Day doubleheader, the Blue Devils are scheduled to play Bethel University, Saturday, Feb. 21 at 11 p.m. in Rosemount, Minn, and St. Olaf College, Friday, Feb. 27 at 8:30 p.m., again in Rosemount. The Blue Devils are scheduled to have six games under their belt before any of the other WIAC softball teams open on Feb. 28.