LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  Game-week is officially upon the Bellarmine softball program, and the Knights are set to embark on their third season in the Division I era in 2023.
 
Along with the excitement of beginning a new season, Bellarmine also has a new head coach.  Enter Caitlyn de la Haba, who was named the sixth head softball coach in program history in August.  Prior to arriving at Bellarmine, de la Haba coached for six seasons at Lafayette College (Pa.) in the Patriot League.
 
When de la Haba was initially hired by Lafayette in 2017, she was the youngest Division I head softball coach in the nation for nearly a year.

The team's progression, especially on offense, was immediate. The Leopards more than doubled their run production, scoring 165 runs compared to 88 in 2017. The team also saw significant improvements in doubles (35 to 59), home runs (8 to 24), RBI (78-145), slugging percentage (.279 to .338), on-base percentage (.280 to .318) walks (72 to 118) and stolen bases (30 to 41). The final numbers in those categories were also top numbers over the last five seasons. 

In the COVID-shortened 2022 season, the Leopards won their most games since 2017, while the pitching staff showed tremendous improvement by shaving five runs off its ERA from the previous season and registering a 4.31 ERA - the lowest during de la Haba's tenure. Leopard pitchers struck out 143 batters - the second most during her five-year tenure.  At the plate, the team had its best batting average (.226) since 2016.
 
The Ashburn, Va. native was also previously an assistant coach at George Mason and Lehigh.  Her playing career was filled with accolades, starting at Broad Run High, where de la Haba was named Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008.  She went on to pitch at Villanova, where she graduated in 2012.
 
"I am excited for this season," de la Haba said.  "I feel a really strong connection to this team, and nothing would make me happier than to see their hard work show in the win column. We have a lot of great things to build on from the fall, and the first few weekends of non-conference will allow us to see what we really need to spend extra time on before we start ASUN play." 
 
While de la Haba arrived in August, she got to experience a full fall with her new team:
 
"The team worked really hard this fall/winter," de la Haba added.  "We asked them to step outside of their comfort zones a lot, and they constantly rose to the challenge. They put in more time in the weight room and at practice, and they have already started to see the payoff."
 
Bellarmine's first-year coach inherits a Bellarmine team that posted double figure wins last season, including a very strong 4-2 start.  The Knights also earned their first-ever ASUN victory last season at Stetson on March 26.
 
Assistant Coach Mollie Paulick enters her second season after graduating from Eastern Kentucky in 2021.  de la Haba and Paulick are joined by first-year graduate assistant Bailey Curry this season.  Curry played at Western Kentucky in 2022, where she batted .296 with 12 home runs. 

The coaching staff will navigate a schedule featuring 56 games, including 24 ASUN contests comprised of eight three-game series. Bellarmine is slated for 20 home games at Knights Field.

The Knights will begin their season on Friday, which starts a string of 16 consecutive games away from home – only five of them will be true road matchups.  Bellarmine will start at the Pinacle Blue Hose Invitational in Clinton, S.C. to play the following five games at Presbyterian College's home field:
 
Feb. 10 vs. Toledo (10:00 a.m.)
Feb. 10 at Presbyterian (2:30 p.m.)
Feb. 11 vs. Toledo (12:15 p.m.)
Feb. 11 at Presbyterian (4:45 p.m.)
Feb. 12 vs. UMES (12:15 p.m.)
 
Playing several games over three days is the format Bellarmine will get used to over its first four weekends of the season.  The Knights will play at the following locations after the opening weekend:
 
Feb. 17-19 at Greenville S.C (Furman)
Feb. 24-26 at Murray, Ky. (Murray State)
March 3-5 at Knights Field
 
Bellarmine has various experience on the roster this season with five seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores, and six freshmen.  With the loss of seven seniors from last year's team, Bellarmine returns just over half of its hits and nearly two-thirds of its RBI.  On the mound, Bellarmine brings back its two primary pitchers from last season – sophomore Claire Lehmkuhler and junior Carson Goatley.
 
Lehmkuhler and Goatley combined for 75 percent of Bellarmine's innings pitched last year.  Lehmkuhler, as just a freshman, led the Knights with 120.1 IP, five victories, nine complete games, and a 5.00 ERA.  In 114.2 IP, Goatley delivered a team-best 72 strikeouts.  With Bellarmine's bullpen specialist, Megan Murphy, graduating last spring, the following pitchers will add to BU's depth in 2023:
 
Elli Jensen (Freshman) – Storm Lake Saint Mary's HS (Iowa)
Abbey Nesnidal (Freshman) – Harry D. Jacobs HS (Illinois)
Sydney Schott (Junior) - North Dakota State College of Science transfer
 
At the plate, Bellarmine's top returning batter is sophomore first baseman Chloe Collins.  During her freshman campaign, Collins led Bellarmine with 17 RBI, six home runs, and a .477 slugging percentage, while ranking third in batting average at .266.  Senior shortstop Alexis Hargrove also brings pop to the plate after hitting five home runs last season.  Her 17 RBI tied Collins in 2022 for the most on the team.
 
Senior Anna Greenwell brings a wealth of experience to the left side of the infield, contributing a team-best 110 assists at third base last year.  Fellow senior Sydney Young returns for her final season behind the plate, while Olivia Bricker enters her senior campaign in the outfield.  Bricker led the Knights last year with 31 walks.  Utility Alyssa Brock rounds out this year's senior class.
 
Alongside Schott and Goatley, Austin Peay transfer Alex Grubbs brings outfield experience to the junior class, while Caitlyn Watson adds utility depth. 
 
Sophomore utility Emily O'Dee is poised for a strong sophomore season, while Megan Konermann is expected to contribute at first base.  Collins, Lehmkuhler, infielder Kayla Bauer, outfielder Cassie Muse, and infielder/catcher Erica Endris comprise the rest of the sophomore class.
 
Joining Jensen and Nesnidal in the freshman class are infielder Ellie Alvarez, catcher/infielder Addison Kerr, outfielder Madison Davis, and catcher/infielder Audrey Magnus. 
 
"We want to make some noise in the ASUN," de la Haba said.  "We want to be in the top half of the conference and get an opportunity to compete in the ASUN tournament at the end of the season. To do this, we need to be consistent - make routine plays on defense, execute strong situational hitting on offense, and be efficient in the circle. All things we work hard on day in and day out - now it's time to leave it all on the field!"
 
The Knights will face Toledo twice, Presbyterian twice, and UMES at the Pinacle Blue Hose Invitational this weekend.  Toledo went 12-37 (5-21 MAC) in 2022.  Presbyterian put together an impressive 36-15 season (19-8 Big South).  Three of last year's losses for the Blue Hose, however, came in their home invitational to open 2022.  Presbyterian was picked to finish second out of eight teams in the Big South this year.  UMES went 18-33 (13-8 MEAC) in 2022 and was picked to finish fifth out of eight teams in its conference this year.  Bellarmine beat UMES 3-2 last season thanks to Grace Werner's steal of home in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
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