Softball 2/6/2019 4:44:00 PM

Stars' experience key to season

OCU looks towards returning battery to guide team

Oklahoma City University boasts of quality veterans which will propel its title hopes this season.
OCU will begin the 2019 season as NAIA softball's top-ranked team and the favorite to repeat as Sooner Athletic Conference champion.
Oklahoma City opens the campaign noon Friday against Bethel (Kan.) in the Cowtown Classic at Gateway Park in Fort Worth, Texas. The Stars will also take on LSU-Alexandria and Houston-Victoria over the course of two days.
"Athletes always say it is always harder to stay at the top," OCU head coach Phil McSpadden said. "Then it is to get there. It is nice to have somebody else to have the target on their back. I mean now instead of just defending what you think you own. you have got someone else who has made you mad, because they took something from you. I think it is going to benefit us. USAO may be better than us and they may beat us, but that doesn't mean that there is not going to be a little more venom when we play them then there has been in the past. Because like I said someone took something from us."
Last year, the Stars went 53-9 and 29-3 in conference play to win the regular-season SAC championship and defeated eventual national champions USAO to win the conference tournament. OCU swept through the NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket to make its 26th World Series appearance in 27 years. OCU has won NAIA titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2016 and 2017.
The Stars are led offensively by all-Americans Kennedy Jackson, Brittany Perez and Jaci Smith. OCU also returns a decorated pitcher from last year's staff in Georgia Wall.
Wall, a senior from Marlow, Okla., went 18-4 with an ERA of 1.41, throwing 11 shutouts and struck out 137 batters. Within the NAIA, she ranks 13th in opponent batting average (.177), in hits allowed per nine innings (4.53) and 18th in ERA (1.41).
"Gigi does a good job not hurting herself," McSpadden said. "She throws strikes with natural ball movement. She has a great changeup and she is not going to bury herself by getting behind in the count."
Smith, a senior from Godley, Texas, hit .409 last season with 11 home runs, ranked fifth in the NAIA with 63 runs scored and rated eighth with 68 RBIs. She banged out 70 hits on the year, 24 of which were for extra bases.
"Jaci is a two time all-America," said McSpadden. "As well as the reigning two-time NAIA catcher of the year. She is the catalyst of our team, a difference maker on the field, a middle of the order type of kid and I think she is a five tool player, that has good assets in all the five tools."
Perez, a senior from Ventura, Calif., was an NAIA and NFCA all-American who hit .256, 11 homeruns, and 52 RBIs. Perez ranks 28st in the NAIA in RBIs 52 and with 11 homeruns.
"Brittany is a good ball player," McSpadden stated. "She would rather be in the outfield, but can play up the middle for us. She has a very strong arm."
Jackson, a sophomore from Moore, Okla., was the Sooner Athletic Conference freshman of the year as well as being named NAIA and NFCA all-American. Hitting .443, with 90 hits, 66 runs scored and stealing 41 bases. Jackson ranked 3rd in the NAIA in runs scored this year with 66 and ranks among the top-10 in total hits (90), total stolen bases (41) and total steal attempts (42).
"Kennedy is a good solid ball player," said McSpadden. "coming off a great freshman year where she was an all-American and the freshman of the year in the SAC.
"There is a lot fewer questions this year. So I really did think a year ago that we were a year away. I knew what kind of pitcher USAO had signed. She was a local kid that got hurt her senior year and her size she wasn't really in everybody's thinking process, because she was out of the picture they kind of forgot about her and I knew they would be good because the result of her. I was hoping that we would have been better than them, but we had so many new kids. I know they lost a little bit more than we did, but they have two kids that for academic or health reasons sit out last year and I think they are better than some of the girls they lost. This is a good bunch and maybe a year from now we will have questions, but this year we feel like we have hit the ground running."
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the rest of the team:

Pitching

Joining Wall in the circle will be Jaden Shores and Kylie Dodson. Dodson, a freshman from Mustang, Okla., let Mustang to the Class 6A state championship, an Oklahoma High School Fastpitch Coaches Association all-state. Shores, a junior out of Blanchard, Okla., went 16-2 with a 1.44 earned run average. She had 104 strikeouts and threw 10 complete games.
"Jaden is probably the best overall athlete of our staff," McSpadden said. "She's also a good athlete and we are expecting her to split time at first base with Kylie when they are not throwing. While Kylie throws backwards, which is hard to find. I am expecting her to have the best control of the staff. We love the way that she is a pitcher not just a thrower."

Infield

Along with Shores and Dodson at first and Smith behind the plate the Stars will have Jackson, Morgan McCallum and Perez up the middle, while Bailey Whitmore and Shelby Riggs have a chance to play third.
Riggs, a freshman from Binger-Oney, Okla., took a redshirt season last year after. In high school she was a member of the 2017 fast-pitch all-state team.
"Shelby is a good hitter," said McSpadden. "She is a young player with tools."
Whitmore, a senior from Oklahoma City, spent most of last year as the starting first baseman, hitting .403 with 56 RBIs, 71 hits and a homerun.
"Bailey has been a solid DP for us," McSpadden stated. " she has good hands and an above average arm."
McCallum, a junior from Mesquite, Texas, hit .414 last season while playing in nine games with Texas Woman's last season.
"Morgan is a good hitter," McSpadden said of McCallum. "We are expecting to start her up the middle, but she could be moved to first to keep her bat in the lineup."

Outfield

Julianne Abeloe and Baileigh Loux return to occupy the outfield at Ann Lacy Stadium.
Last year, Loux, a sophomore from Reno, Nev., was selected to the World Series all-tournament team. She had a .391 batting average with 63 hits. She also ranked 11th in the NAIA with 20 doubles.
"Baileigh is a borderline five-tool player," McSpadden said. "In fact, she has a good arm, good foot speed, good hands, she has power at the plate and she is a difference maker."
Abeloe, a senior from Santa Paula, Calif., started in 56 of games played in last season. She hit .358 with 14 doubles, two triples, 31 RBI and 67 hits.
"Julianne is solid for us defensively," McSpadden said. "She is a solid ball player and swings a good bat."
Sierra Jones, a freshman from El Reno, Okla., also figures to play a key role in the outfield. She red-shirted for OCU last season.
"Sierra has a good arm and foot speed," said McSpadden. "she is slated to be the starter in right field for us."
Sha Ingram, a senior from Blanchard, Okla., also provides a unique option for OCU with her speed. She appeared in 31 games last season, mostly as a pinch runner. She was 8-for-8 on stolen bases last year and hopes to contribute in the same way this season.
"Sha has battled arm problems since she's been here," McSpadden said, "but she will play a key role as a pinch runner for us."
Kayla Gallagher, Montana Price and newcomer Gaby Zucchiatti will help fill out the outfield.
Gallagher, is a junior from Oklahoma City, appeared in 10 games scoring four runs.
Price, a sophomore from Bethel, Okla., hit .328, collecting 13 RBIs on 21 hits and scored 18 runs playing in 28 games for the Stars last year. Zucchiatti, a junior from Millbrae, Calif., hit .377 with two home runs, nine doubles, 42 RBIs and stole eight bases.

The final regular-season standings will determine the seeds for the conference postseason tournament scheduled for May 2-4 to be co-hosted by OCU and USAO. The winner of the SAC Tournament will receive an automatic berth into the NAIA Championship Opening Round which runs May 15-17.
"Once you won one you felt like you've had the formula," McSpadden said. "Then we won four in a row and all it did was create a monster inside of me. I am still expecting to win conference, because we have kind of set this precedence and if we can make noise in our conference I feel that we can parlay that into a national championship run."

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Players Mentioned

#4 Montana Price: INF; 5' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#11 Julianne Abeloe: OF; 5' 7"; Senior; R/R

#2 Kayla Gallagher: OF; 5' 1"; Junior; R/R

#3 Sha Ingram: INF; 5' 5"; Senior; L/R

#1 Kennedy Jackson: INF; 5' 1"; Sophomore; L/R

#6 Sierra Jones: OF; 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#9 Baileigh Loux: OF; 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R

#8 Brittany Perez: INF; 5' 6"; Senior; R/R

#15 Shelby Riggs: INF; 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#19 Jaden Shores: P/INF; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#20 Jaci Smith: C/OF; 5' 8"; Senior; L/R

#18 Georgia Wall: P; 6' 1"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#4 Montana Price
: 5' 4"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: INF

#11 Julianne Abeloe
: 5' 7"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#2 Kayla Gallagher
: 5' 1"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#3 Sha Ingram
: 5' 5"; Senior; L/R
: INF

#1 Kennedy Jackson
: 5' 1"; Sophomore; L/R
: INF

#6 Sierra Jones
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: OF

#9 Baileigh Loux
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#8 Brittany Perez
: 5' 6"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#15 Shelby Riggs
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: INF

#19 Jaden Shores
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: P/INF

#20 Jaci Smith
: 5' 8"; Senior; L/R
: C/OF

#18 Georgia Wall
: 6' 1"; Senior; R/R
: P