2008 Marietta softball preview
Lady Pioneers begin another pursuit of an OAC title

March 5, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — With the success of the 2007 season in the books, the Marietta College softball team is ready for another stellar season in 2008. Under the direction of Jeanne Arbuckle, who will begin her 21st season as head softball coach, the Pioneers are looking to build off their most successful season in school history, which ended with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, a second place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament and an overall record of 34-12.

Following the loss of four seniors, the Pioneers will rely heavily on their veteran junior and senior players throughout the 2008 season. With eight returning letterwinners and a host of talented freshmen and sophomores, the Pioneers are looking to make another run for the OAC title.

Marietta will look for senior standout Brandy Jacob (Wellington/Keystone) to anchor the offense this spring. Jacob finished 2007 with the most at-bats (161), hits (56) and games played (46) in school history. The right fielder/second baseman batted .348 with six doubles and five triples. She also scored 35 runs and drove in 17. Along with Jacob, the Pioneers will look to seniors Krista Huffman (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) and Nikki Veigel (Canton/Canton South) to close out their careers with breakout seasons. Huffman, a three-year letterwinner as a center fielder, has only committed three errors in 107 career games. Veigel, who has split time at third base over her career, looks to make her presence felt defensively and continue to improve offensively in 2008.

Juniors Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) and Erin Faulkner (Wheelersburg) will be also vital to the team’s success in 2008. Driscoll earned All-OAC and All-Region honors as a sophomore in 2007. The second baseman finished the season with a .347 batting average and 27 RBI. Faulkner, a pitcher/designated hitter, will look to anchor the pitching staff in her first full season as a varsity pitcher. In 2007, she went 1-1 with a 4.81 ERA in 16 innings of work. As a hitter, Faulkner batted .319 with 20 RBI.

Three other underclassmen return as letterwinners, junior first baseman Emily McComb (Gnadenhutten/Indian Valley), sophomore catcher Katie Woolf (Louisville) and sophomore outfielder Maggie Daubenmire (Thornville/Lakewood Hebron). Each provided solid contributions during the 2007 season and look to make larger impacts in 2008.

Marietta will open the 2008 season in Kissimmee, Florida, at the Rebel Spring Games March 9-14. Its home opener is scheduled for March 25 against Wooster. The Pioneers will play eight doubleheaders at home on Marietta Field this spring. Their OAC home opener is against Otterbein on March 29.