Filled with motivation the 2024 Otterbein softball team is preparing to dominate their competition.
According to the head coach, Bruce Anderson, the team is more than prepared to compete with the best of the best. “We would love to make the NCAA tournament, but our main goal is to win the OAC,” said Coach Anderson.
After finishing last season with a record of 16-17-1 and also being one game away from extending their season, this team is excited for a chance to flip the script. The team believes they are better than last year's result.
A challenge for competing in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) will be the teams' youth. Upperclassmen will be looked upon for guidance and leadership with an underclassmen-loaded roster. The two seniors, Megan Payne and Caroline Heller were both Top 5 hitters on the team last year.
Both players have similar responses about their teams' culture.
Payne says that team culture is “as good as it has ever been.”
Impactful chemistry on the team will be “an advantage on and off the field,” says Heller.
Although the seniors will be leaned upon often, this year will be an opportunity for the underclassmen to earn their spots. Coach Anderson has confidence in his underclassmen. He described the team as “versatile” and want to be a team that “nobody wants to play.”
Otterbein softball starts its season on Mar. 3, in a double header against Alfred University and Chatham University in Leesburg, Florida. The team has its first game in the OAC on Mar. 29, against Capital University.
