Bulls Look To Rebound In 2016
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BUFFALO, NY - As head coach Trena Peel begins her third season as head coach of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York softball program, the Bulls will look to regain the success had during Coach Peel's first season in 2014 when the Bulls were MAC East Champions, making their first ever trip to the conference championship game.
If the Bulls are going to repeat their success from two seasons ago, it will do so with a roster that is split nearly down the middle with veterans and newcomers as UB welcomes back 11 players from a year ago, but brings in nine new faces for this year.
UB has two seniors on the squad in Kenzie Koch and Lauren Gambone. Koch is the only four-year member of the Bulls and she saw her most extensive action last year, making 26 starts all around the infield. Gambone was one of UB's biggest power threats last year as she finished with seven home runs, which was tied for the team lead, and also drove in 21 runs in 47 games.
The Bulls return a strong core of juniors, led by Savanna Norcio, who finished second on the team in batting last season with a .343 batting average. She played in all 50 games last year, after missing part of her freshman season due to injury.
Fellow junior Ashton Earnhardt batted .299 last season as she played in 48 games, making 45 starts. Last season, Earnhardt had a pair of four-hit games for the Bulls, including hitting her first career home run against Evansville.
In the circle, junior Bobbi Langlois pitched her first season for the Bulls after sitting out the 2014 season as a transfer. Langlois led the Bulls in earned run average, wins, appearances, starts, complete games and strike outs last season.
The Bulls welcome six sophomores back this season, including a few who had impressive freshman seasons in 2015. Outfielder Leandra Jew was the only UB player to start in all 50 games for the Bulls last season and was named to the All-MAC Freshman team after hitting .260 on the year.
Danielle Lallos played in 45 games for the Bulls as she was a fixture in the UB infield. She drove in 19 runs and hit three home runs during her freshman season.
Fellow sophomore Charlotte Miller made 30 appearances in the circle and had four complete games in 15 starts. She pitched just over 100 innings and struck out 37 batters.
Classmate Sarah Edwards made 23 appearances and had seven hits, including a pair of doubles. The Bulls also return Taylor Scott and Nicolette Jacobs, who saw limited action last year. Jacobs hit a grand slam for her only hit of the season, but played in just six games before she was lost for the rest of the season due to injury.
Coach Peel and her staff welcome in a talented group of newcomers, which includes eight freshmen and one junior college transfer in Essence Savinon, who played last season at Daytona State. She began her career as a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast.
The freshman class is an extremely versatile group that will help UB out at a number of different positions. Included in that is four pitchers, which will bring the overall pitching staff to six for Coach Peel and her staff. Brieanna Baker comes to UB from Oneonta, NY and missed most of her senior season due to injury, but holds school records for single-game strikeouts (19), single-season strikeouts (257) and career strikeouts (607).
Freshman Lace Smith pitched four seasons for Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, FL, where she had a 1.45 ERA as a senior. During her junior season, Smith struck out a school-record 298 batters and was named the Player of the Year.
Taylor Light is a local pitcher from Rochester, NY who had a 1.05 ERA during her senior year, while also hitting .487 with 32 runs batted in. The pitching staff is rounded out with Ally Power, who was the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year as she had a 0.95 ERA as a senior with 268 strikeouts in 154 innings and just 19 total walks.
Freshman Courtney Gilbert will get the opening day nod at shortstop as the Delhi, Ontario native comes to UB after a stint on the Canadian Junior National Team this past summer, helping lead Canada to their best finish in the nation's history at the Junior World Championships.
Katie Weimer is a catcher/infielder from Orchard Park, NY who batted .567 during her senior year with 49 runs batted in, 12 doubles, 10 triples and eight home runs as she helped lead Orchard Park to its first state championship. Another local product is Adriana Lis, who comes to UB from West Seneca, NY. Lis batted .365 as a senior and was named first-team All-ECIC Division I.
Catrell Robertson completes the freshman class as she traveled cross country from Costa Mesa, CA to play for the Bulls. Robertson was named the Offensive Player of the Year during her sophomore season, winning a league championship in 2012.
Coach Peel has put together a solid staff that includes Kaleigh Rafter, who has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2007 and was won of the top home run threats. She completed her college career at Florida State. Also on the staff for her second year is Holly Luciano, who graduated from UB in 2014 and helped lead the Bulls to their first MAC East title and an appearance in the MAC Championship Game.
With another year of experience and a talented group of newcomers, Coach Peel and her staff look to claim that second MAC East Division Title and lead the Bulls to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
