By Pat Dailey (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Aurora coach James Hoffman is looking forward to having senior Elizabeth Martin in center field and at the top of his lineup, after she missed the first two-thirds of last season.
Martin has started for the Lady Houn’ Dawgs since she was a freshman. But she was relegated to playing in only the final eight games of last season, after coming back from a torn ACL.
“She was out of shape when she came back, which was expected,” Hoffman said. “When she first came back, we played four games in eight days and you could tell her knee was tired. We gave her a couple days off because we didn’t want anything bad to happen. It was scary. We didn’t want her to have to make another comeback because her knee was weakened from playing on it so much. She’s one of those girls you have to make take time off. She loves to play softball and basketball and gives 110 percent to whatever she is doing.”
A healthy Martin this season will lead an Aurora lineup that returns four full-time starters and one part-time starter from last season’s 9-20 bunch.
“She’ll be at the top of our lineup, hitting either first, second or third,” Hoffman said.
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Junior outfielder Brooke Schutte, who was named to the All-Big Eight Conference Second-Team last year, figures to again be a key cog in the Lady Houn’ Dawgs lineup.
Hoffman is confident Schutte is in store for a breakout campaign.
“She’s pretty much kept working since the end of last season,” Hoffman said. “She wants to play at the next level and is committed to working and is a strong kid in the weight room. She didn’t play travel ball over the summer. She just worked out and hit. With her desire, she’s a fun kid to watch. With the way she drives the ball, she will probably lead us in power numbers. She’s one of our girls with some speed and she has some of the best pop in her bat.”
Mattie Sparks, who splits time between catcher and third base, is back for her senior season, after receiving All-Big Eight honorable mention recognition last season.
Pitchers Bethany Rogers and Nailely Martinez also return.
Hoffman said Rogers and Martinez will offer hitters different looks.
“They will split time more than likely, with Bethany catching when she’s not pitching and Nailely going to the outfield and maybe playing a little infield when she’s not pitching,” Hoffman said. “Bethany throws harder than Nailely and is a little more wild. She’s conveniently wild. Nailely is more in control.”
Hoffman also expects second baseman Mallorie Schmidt to land a spot in Aurora’s lineup.
At least several starting jobs are up for grabs.
“Our lineup is up in the air right now,” Hoffman said. “We know who some of our better hitters are, but don’t know where they are going to be in the lineup.”
Hoffman hopes the Lady Houn’ Dawgs can hit for power to make up for their lack of speed.
“In the off-season, we worked on revamping swings. We’re trying to barrel balls up more consistently,” he said. “I’m trying to express to them how important it is to drive the ball into the outfield and the gaps. We’re not blessed with a lot of speed on the base paths, so we’ve got to hit it where the ball has the best chance of falling. As far as changing swings and making adjustments, we’ve got some girls who want to get better. We’ve got a few that can put a charge into it.”
This will be Aurora’s fifth season playing its home games on turf. Hoffman said more than anything, turf has made the Lady Houn’ Dawgs better defensively.
“It helps our fielding percentage, I can tell you that much,” he said. “You get some high choppers, just like you would on a hard infield. We know we can trust the hop.”
