The Linfield softball program has put together a contender year in and year out. Winning a Northwest Conference championship is always the expectation while a third Division III national championship is the end goal.
 
The Wildcats went 38-9 during their 2021 campaign and finished a game back of George Fox for the NWC regular season title at 22-6. As the No. 2 seed, they won their third straight NWC tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats' season ended with a 7-5 loss to Piedmont in the Eau Claire Regional.
 
Despite a lot of turnover from last year's roster, the team's goals remain the same. The Wildcats were picked to win it all in the NWC Preseason Coaches Poll and enter the season ranked No. 20 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) preseason rankings.
 
"We try not to put too much emphasis on the national scene. That sort of stuff will work its way out on its own at the end of the year," said head coach Jackson Vaughan as he enters his 21^st year at the helm.
 
GETTING UP TO SPEED
Roughly half of the roster is made up of newcomers, which includes 13 freshmen. A lot of those freshmen are still getting adjusted to life as a collegiate student-athlete, let alone during a pandemic.
 
They're getting used to what the game demands at the college level and what a normal week looks like. And it's not always easy for new players to fathom what exactly they're playing for and how much every regular season game means. Vaughan wants the team to perform well consistently and not look past anyone in the NWC.
 
"We stubbed our toe at the end of last season," Vaughan said. "We need to have depth in the pitching staff, and we need to be able to play week to week or we won't be in contention to win the whole thing at the end of the year."
 
The 'Cats are still a work in progress at a few positions, especially since they need to fill the holes from last year's graduating class. The Linfield youth is expected to contribute at a high level, but there's always a big learning curve with freshmen, who are still transitioning into collegiate student-athletes and haven't played their first official game yet.
 
"We hope to get them up to speed so they can play well for us this year," Vaughan said.
 
THE BATTERY
The biggest question for the 'Cats entering the season: What will the pitching staff look like?
 
Junior Tayah Kelley is back in the circle after going 19-4 last season with 17 complete games, 146 strikeouts and a 3.43 earned run average in 142.2 innings pitched. A First Team All-NWC selection and a Third Team All-West Region selection last year, Kelley is set to be the ace, but the 'Cats are still uncertain about who will replace Maddy Podnar, who went 13-5 with a 2.69 ERA as a senior.
 
"Tayah has established herself as our No. 1, but who's two, three and four in the pecking order behind her?" Vaughan said.
 
Junior Jordan Bennett and sophomore Tyler Warden are top returning candidates while freshmen Dayla McAuliffe and Hailey Wadsworth are also competing for innings. Cheyenne Datan also joins the 'Cats for her senior season after transferring from Pacific.
 
"They all do some good things," Vaughan said. "They've all had outings where they clearly looked like our No. 2 or No. 3, and then they've had outings where they didn't look quite as strong. The question is, who from that group is going to emerge? Cheyenne at times has looked good. She's got good velocity and has a good chance at it, but all of those pitchers have done good things at different times."
 
It's still to be determined who will be behind the plate for the 'Cats in 2022. They will need to replace All-West Region catcher Kamryn Apling as well as Shakayla Snyder, who was always reliable on defense.
 
"Right now, Emma Podliska has earned the spot with her experience," Vaughan said. "She has improved and, hitting wise, has been the most consistent."
 
Behind the senior Podliska are freshmen Maddie Troutt and Ashley Sutton, both of whom have shown promise and stood out during preseason practices and scrimmages.
 
"Our conference runs quite a bit, so their ability to control the base paths is a big deal behind the plate," Vaughan said. "How they continue to do in that fashion will play a big part."
 
THE REST OF THE FIELD
Shortstop Katrina Johns, first baseman Abi Proffitt and outfielders Katie Phillips and Baily Paul anchor the senior position players. Johns, Phillips and Paul earned Second Team All-NWC honors last season while Proffitt was named an honorable mention. Johns and Paul were also named to the All-West Region third team. All four could return in 2023 as well after receiving an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Johns batted .381 as a junior with 37 runs, 37 RBI, 10 doubles and six home runs. Phillips led the team with a .400 batting average to go with 64 hits and 45 runs. She and Proffitt finished tied for the team lead with 42 RBI. Paul started in 45 games and was third on the team with 40 RBI.
 
Podliska and sophomore utility player Jenny Ball will step into bigger roles this season along with junior third baseman Kamryn Mobley, who started in all 47 games a year ago and batted .287 with a .369 on-base percentage.
 
"There will be some shuffling for sure," said Vaughan about the starting lineup. "Hopefully we've scrimmaged enough where there won't be too many surprises. There are still some positions that are a little uncertain. The designated player spot is where we'll try a couple people and ride whoever has the hot bat and is playing well."
 
OPENING DAY APPROACHES
The 'Cats open their season with a road trip to California. They will take on Whittier on Saturday before heading to Claremont to play at Pomona-Pitzer on Sunday. Both doubleheaders will start at noon.
 
"We're looking forward to competing against someone who isn't ourselves," Vaughan said. "How we mentally adjust and handle both success and failure play a large part in how we'll do. There will be ups and downs this weekend, but there always is. Our goal is to go down there and represent well."
 
The 'Cats have performed well on a national stage for decades, which can sometimes make it easy for the current squad to compare itself to those great teams of the past. Vaughan said he wants his players to not worry about previous teams and just work on becoming the best team that they can possibly become.
 
"We're just trying to play well at the end of the year and keep giving ourselves a chance," he said. "Now that we get to play games, we get to measure ourselves. If we aren't where we want to be, hopefully the players will use that as motivation to get better."