By Maggie Samole / Sports editor

If injuries don’t get the best of her team, head coach Dana Munchinski foresees a strong showing from the UPG softball team this spring.

Led by returning All-AMCC players junior Kelly Welsh and sophomores Shannon Bradburn and Lindsay Littler, Munchinski anticipates the team will reach the playoffs in her second year at the helm.

“We should definitely be able to make the playoffs,” Munchinski said. “It depends on the team, injuries, things like that, but we should make it. The girls should be able to hang with any team in the conference.”

To do that, the Bobcats will need to improve upon their 5-13 conference record from last season. The recently released AMCC preseason poll ranked the team seventh in the conference — the same place it finished last season.

Munchinski said one of her team’s strengths will be its depth.

“Anybody on the team can be a starter at any given time,” Munchinski said. “I’m confident we can do well with any of the players on the field.”

Sophomore catcher Jenn Shannon echoed her coach’s sentiments.

“We have a lot of people who can play at different positions,” Shannon said. “That’ll definitely be able to help us out.”

Junior Jamie Burnett sees the team’s prowess at the plate as a major asset.

“Hitting should be one of our team’s strengths,” Burnett said. “The freshmen seem like they’re going to be power hitters.”

However, for the team even to be able to play a game, some injury issues need to be resolved. Both pitchers on the Bobcats’ roster — Taylor Kimmel and Emily Dempsey — must return from preseason injuries.

“Having both pitchers being injured is really going to hurt us,” Munchinski said. “If we don’t have any pitchers, we can’t play.”

Bradburn said she thinks Kimmel and Dempsey will perform well once they return.

“The pitchers look good just so long as injuries don’t get in the way,” Bradburn said.

If the team’s pitching woes aren’t resolved by the end of next week, the team might not travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., over spring break, as planned.

“If we don’t have them back, we won’t be able to play,” Munchinski said. “We wouldn’t go, but I really hope we do.”

Taking the field for the first time as a team will be important to the Bobcats.

“The outfielders are looking forward to being outside,” Burnett said. “Everyone else, too. It gets repetitive being inside. There’s only so much you can do.”

The Bobcats won all of their fall ball games at the beginning of the school year, which bodes well for the team since not everyone participated. However, Bradburn said competing over spring break would be a good experience for the team.

“It’s a great time for us to bond and to get to know the freshmen,” Bradburn said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

If the Bobcats travel to Myrtle Beach over spring break, their season opener is slated for Monday, March 10. If not, their season will begin on March 17 at Thiel in a 3 p.m. doubleheader.