The Rainy River Community College softball team enters the 2012 season with a 13-player roster that includes only two returning from last season’s squad that went 8-18 overall with a 6-14 conference record.
Dieter Humbert enters his 10th season as RRCC’s head coach with his key losses being two players who batted above .400: infielder/outfielder Brenley Anderson, a Minnesota College Athletic Conference Northern Division second team selection; and infielder Chrissy Frasz.
Back is sophomore pitcher/infielder Cateline Fafard of Dauphin, Manitoba, who also batted above .400 and accounted for the bulk of the Voyageurs’ pitching duties last season, for which she was named to the MCAC North’s first team and the MCAC All-State second team.
“We won’t bring much experience, that’s for sure, because we’re mostly all freshmen, but I know we’ll bring a lot of new opportunities and new talents that will hopefully blend together and help us be successful,” said Fafard, who is one of four captains on this year’s team.
The other returning player is sophomore outfielder Jenna Brady of Crosby, N.D., who, like Fafard, played this winter on the RRCC women’s hockey team that finished fifth at the 2012 ACHA Division 2 National Championships.
In total, seven on the softball team roster were also part of the Voyageurs’ hockey team, including freshman Chelsea Poulton, a catcher from Carman, Manitoba, and another one of the team captains.
“The training (for hockey and volleyball) is completely different,” said Poulton, who will be a three-sport athlete at RRCC in 2011-12. “I feel I’m completely out of shape for softball, but I’m working towards it and my team is helping me, so I’m happy.”
Another captain, infielder/catcher Marangeli Sanchez of Chicago, is the only one of the Voyageurs’ 11 new players in her sophomore year of eligibility.
She played guard on the RRCC women’s basketball team, which Humbert coached this winter.
“This is my first year playing softball at this school,” Sanchez said. “I was at another school, so I pretty much know what teamwork is and how it is to work with other girls, so I’m pretty experienced, I guess you could say.”
Two new players are listed as pitchers as one of their positions, including freshman captain Colby Redhead of LeDuc, Alberta.
“Dieter’s had some great success in his coaching, and I thought it would be good to come in a program and hopefully bring some new success and some wins,” Redhead said.
Her brother, Bryn, is a freshman catcher/infielder on RRCC’s baseball team.
“When Dieter came to recruit me, he heard about Bryn, he told (RRCC baseball head) coach (Josh) Koenig about Bryn,” she said. “It just kind of ended up that we got to go to the same college together, so it’s pretty awesome that we get to play college sports together and go to the same school.”
Humbert lists pitching depth, defense and chemistry on offense as the softball team’s strengths, while he is concerned the most about injuries.
He said the team goals in 2012 include winning the MCAC Northern Division, Region and national tournament.
Humbert said the teams to watch out for this season include Itasca, Central Lakes and Hibbing.
The Voyageurs open the season Monday in Rosemount when they play Bottineau, Northland and St. Cloud Tech in the Irish Dome Tourney, before heading to Titusville, Fla., to play in six games March 21-22.
RRCC’s home opener is a doubleheader scheduled April 9 against Vermilion.
