The Western Kentucky softball team is coming off a Conference USA Tournament championship last spring, and expectations are high again this spring with plenty of talent returning.

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to open the 2022 season with five games this weekend at the Aggie Classic at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

“We’re really excited to get our season started, to open up at a great venue against some great competition,” ninth-year WKU head coach Amy Tudor said Tuesday at the team’s media day. “Looking forward to having our team in action and just getting everything rolling.”

WKU is scheduled to play UT Arlington at 10 a.m. Friday, followed by a 12:30 p.m. game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The Hilltoppers are also slated to face Texas A&M and Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Saturday, and UT Arlington on Sunday in the opening event before welcoming Central Michigan, Bellarmine and SEMO to the WKU Softball Complex for the WKU Hilltopper Classic the following week.

The Hilltoppers also have the Hilltopper Spring Fling and Ole Miss Classic before the start of C-USA play. WKU’s nonconference schedule from that point is highlighted with a home game against Alabama on April 27.

“I think it’s important to play the best teams that you can play. It gets you prepared for postseason and ultimately that’s our goal – to go to the postseason, whether it’s an at-large or winning the tournament,” Tudor said. “Whatever way it is, we want to play in the NCAA Tournament and get them ready and play in those types of stadiums that host those regionals. … I think it’s very important to play tough competition, see where we’re at and then from that point on, where we need to make little, small adjustments.”

WKU is coming off a season in which it finished 32-15 overall and 10-6 in conference play. It claimed its first conference tournament title since 2015 and second overall, and made its third NCAA Tournament appearance, which included a win over UNC Greensboro before falling to Duke in a 12-inning marathon game to end the season.

The Hilltoppers will be without several key pieces from last year but do return several starters.

Half of WKU’s pitching staff from last year is gone – Kelsey Aikey, who finished eight strikeouts shy of tying the program career record, is out of eligibility after missing the end of last season due to injury, and Kennedy Sullivan transferred to Kentucky. Aikey led the team in strikeouts last season, while Sullivan – who played multiple positions – led the team with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. Paige Carter also graduated after leading the team with a .365 batting average, 57 hits and 48 runs scored, and starting catcher Kendall Smith transferred to Louisville.

WKU returns two local products to anchor the pitching staff this season. South Warren graduate Shelby Nunn was selected as C-USA’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Warren East graduate Katie Gardner returns after coming on strong late last season as a sophomore. Nunn led the team in innings pitched with 102.2, had a 2.39 ERA and a 13-6 record. Gardner pitched 64 innings over 19 games with a team-best 2.08 ERA. The Hilltoppers also have redshirt freshman Kelsie Houchens and freshman Savannah Fierke in the pitching staff.

“We have the best chemistry that we’ve ever had,” Nunn said. “We genuinely care for each other as a team and we’re here for each one of us. Catching-wise, we just go out there and have fun. If something’s not working we make sure to communicate it and I think that’s the biggest difference.”

Tudor did not name a player that would fill the starting role filled by Smith, who was named second team all-conference last season. WKU has four catchers listed on its roster – Randi Drinnon, Jessica Bush, Maddie Poschke and Bailey Curry. Bush is a South Warren graduate and transfer from Lipscomb, while Curry transferred from Louisiana.

“I think we have a good selection back behind home plate and we will see day one who steps up and who will continue to grow and who makes our pitching staff better,” Tudor said. “I think that’s the absolute key.”

WKU returns six players in the field that started at least 30 of the team’s 47 games last season – Taylor Davis, Brylee Hage, TJ Webster, Taylor Sanders, Bowlds and Jordan Ridge. The Hilltoppers hit .305 as a team last year with 48 homers, 222 RBIs and 248 runs scored and had a .482 slugging percentage.

In addition to Nunn, Bowlds and Davis were named to the C-USA Preseason All-Conference team, which was announced Tuesday. Davis’ .336 batting average last season is the best among WKU’s returning players, while Bowlds hit .279.

“As a whole team, we have a bunch of speed, we have power, we have gap hitters, so I really think we have everything that we need to be successful,” Bowlds said. “We’ve got Bailey – big power hitter – so I think she’s going to help a lot coming in as a transfer, but all in all, I trust this offense more than I probably have in the past.

“As Shelby and Coach T also said, the chemistry is also great. If one of us goes and hits before practice or after, we’ll ask if they want to go hit, just bringing the team along, because at the end we’re going to need our hitters to win games.”

The Hilltoppers were predicted to finish third in C-USA by the league coaches, behind Charlotte and North Texas, respectively. WKU’s first league series is scheduled to be on the road against the 49ers on March 11-13.{&end}