The team was nursing an injury from one of its best pitchers.
After winning the Mid-American Conference Championship in the spring of 2014, the 2015 Ohio University softball team entered its current season with high hopes to repeat.
Unfortunately, the team was stricken with an impactful injury that hurt the Bobcats’ chances to repeat.
Junior ace pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey missed almost the entirety of the season due to a shoulder injury, as senior pitcher Lauren McClary stepped up in the circle and led the Bobcats in appearances, starts and innings pitched in 2015.
Dorsey was vital in the Bobcats championship run a year ago, recording an ERA of 2.47 and 25 wins inside the circle.
The unexpected bright spot for the Bobcats, however, was freshman Mikayla Cooper. She said earlier in the season she didn’t expect to pitch during her freshman year, but ended up pitching in a dozen games, posting a 4.25 ERA and playing a variety of positions on defense, including third base.
Senior first baseman and pitcher Kaylin Clarke also had leadership opportunities in Dorsey’s absence, notching a .351 batting average during 97 at-bats.
Ohio saw redshirt senior first baseman Raven King hit her way into the record books this season, as she not only led the team in homeruns with seven, but also hit her 30th home run — pushing her to second all-time in Ohio history for home runs.
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Junior shortstop Amanda Dalton, who helped anchor the Bobcats’ defense, will return next season after leading the Bobcats in defensive assists.
Although the Bobcats did not finish above .500 like some might have expected this season, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future.
Dorsey will likely return from her injury and take her place in Ohio’s rotation next season. Cooper, one of the only freshman in the starting lineup, will bring back experience in the circle, as well as in the field. Freshman pitcher Sydney Compston, who kept hitters off balance with her changeup, returns, as well, solidifying the Bobcats starters and relievers heading into the season.
Ohio coach Jodi Hermanek — who gave birth just before Ohio’s 2014 MAC Championship run — brings her conference championship experience. She is the second-winningest coach in Ohio history.
Despite a disappointing regular season campaign this season, Hermanek and the Bobcats could return to former glory sooner rather than later.
@AGill072
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