Macon, GA- Softball season is fast approaching and the Wolves softball team, coached by second year head coach Ryan Bliss, has been preparing for months to take the field and play some ball. The Wolves have undergone a youth movement as Bliss added 6 Freshmen and Sydney Salamone, a junior transfer student, to the roster this season. "Our team is young and eager this season." Said Bliss, "We've added a talented group of Freshmen to a very stable core of returning players."
Some of those returning players are the Bowen twins Samantha Bowen and Sabrina Bowen returning to Wesleyan for their 5th year. "Sam and Sabrina are awesome young ladies," Said Bliss about the pair. "They are incredible lead by example type of players and have made huge strides both on and off the field since I arrived here a year ago." Samantha Bowen looks set to take over center field this season as the lefthanded speedster had her best season in the purple and black in 2023 slashing .256 at the plate with 3 doubles while starting all 32 games for the Wolves in the outfield. Sabrina returns as the incumbent shortstop and is also coming off her best offensive season as she tied for the team lead in rbi and extra base hits, really coming on strong at the end of the season reaching base at over a .400 clip in the final month of action.
With so many fresh faces taking the field for the Wolves, campus is buzzing for the start of the season. "We have a good group of freshmen here right now, but they are still freshmen." Bliss continued, "I am expecting us to play some really clean games this year. They are aware they are going to get a shot and all seem invested in putting their best foot forward."
Bliss certainly has a number of new ladies taking the field for him this season. The Wolves roster is 60% different than the team that took the field in 2023, with the Bowen twins, Senior Kaitlyn Bennett, and Sophomores Katelyn McCord and Saunya Sawyers returning from last season. McCord returns to the middle of the lineup as she tied with Sabrina Bowen for the team lead in RBI last season and looks to serve a role in the circle again as well, while Bennett and Sawyers appear to be returning to the outfield.
"The growth I have seen in our returning players has been my favorite part of being at Wesleyan so far." Said Bliss, "they have put in the time and effort to grow as ball players and I can't wait for them to take the field."
With Bliss entering his 2nd season as head coach, and his first full season at the helm of the program, the Wolves could have a different feel about them in 2024. "Coming into last season I felt like I was playing catch up the whole time…. Like when your alarm doesn't go off and you have to rush through your whole morning routine. You know, brushing your teeth while you take the dog out, things like that, so you can try to get to work 5 minutes late instead of 30," Bliss said jokingly. "This season I feel much more prepared. I've had months with this team so they know who I am, what I'm about, and what my expectations are for them personally and on the field. We've had the time needed to put in the systems I want to run, talk about our approach at the plate, and just spend time working together."
When asked about the recently released CCS projections for the season that have the Wolves finishing 8th in the conference Bliss responded, "Projections are a lot like stats. They show what's happened, not what's to come. I'm more interested in what the conference standings look like at the end of the season than I am in what people think we are before a pitch has been thrown. I know my ladies are going to go out and play hard every opportunity they get."
All of Wesleyan is excited to see how the season plays out as well. The Wolves kick off the 24 season with a pair of non-conference home double headers on Saturday 2/10 Vs Columbia International University with first pitch scheduled for 2pm, and Sunday 2/11 Vs Fort Valley State with first pitch scheduled for 1pm.