New pitching in 2012
Following last year’s 6-10 season, the International Falls softball team returns a number of its top hitters, but will have new pitching for 2012.
Kevin Gordon enters his 14th year as head coach with three graduation losses, including the two primary pitchers from last season. The departed players are:
• The coach’s daughter, Sydney Gordon, a pitcher and shortstop who was a three-time Section 7AA softball player. As a three-sport athlete in 2010-11, she was also named the Arrowhead Conference Co-Athlete of the Year for girls.
• Amanda Hofius, a pitcher and infielder with a .283 batting average. She is now on Rainy River Community College’s softball team.
• Jynni Discenza, a right fielder who batted .500.
Gordon’s list of top returning players and their batting averages from the last season they played on the varsity includes: junior catcher/outfielder Olivia Santee, .623; senior pitcher/infielder Morgan Bruess, .491; sophomore outfielder Bailey Vollom, .324; freshman infielder Cassie Tomczak, .255; junior first baseman Anna Ringhofer, .250; and senior outfielder Jessica Ringhofer, .217 (2010 average).
At the plate last season, Santee and Bruess set some of the Broncos’ all-time single season records.
Santee’s moved into first with a single-season batting average of .623, while Morgan Bruess is fourth on the all-time list.
Santee also holds records in single-season triples at six and slugging percentage at 1.000. Bruess is fifth in slugging percentage at .698.
Bruess and Santee are tied for the top spot in single-season triples with six each. Santee also tied the single-season home run record at five set by Kara Kenedy in 2009.
Gordon includes the offensive play of Bruess and Santee among the team strengths in 2012.
“Eight returning varsity players — that should be able to produce offensively,” he said. “We also have several returning players that can play multiple positions defensively.
“This year we have two players — Jessica Ringhofer and Samantha Hams — that should be impact players that did not play on the varsity last year.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Gordon said the Broncos “will need to develop some pitching during the course of the season.”
“We are lacking experience at this position,” he said. “Morgan Bruess being the only returning pitcher on the varsity staff.”
Gordon said he is concerned the most this season about needing to “improve in the outfield and on the mound as the year progresses to compete with the top teams in our Section.”
Along with winning the Arrowhead Conference and Section 7AA, he said the team goals this season include becoming “a better and more consistent team on defense” and “showing positive signs of improvement in our offensive production.”
Gordon said he is looking forward to “seeing how much we can improve over the season and seeing our team identity develop as we move though the season.”
He said the teams to watch out for on the schedule this season include Cherry and Mesabi East as well as the Section teams of Virginia, Eveleth-Gilbert, Greenway and Hermantown.
Falls opens the season next Tuesday at Chisholm.
