After a disappointing 2021 season that saw the Scarlet Knights finish with an 8-36 record against Big Ten opponents, Rutgers softball looks to regroup and re-tool for the 2022 campaign.
Going into her fourth season, head coach Kristen Butler welcomes back 12 juniors and seniors, and will be looking to find offense from the Scarlet Knights, who have been outscored by opponents in the last two seasons. Assistant coach Brynne Dordel is stepping into her second year, and will be working with the Scarlet Knight pitching staff. She is joined this season by first-year assistant coach Natalie Yonan, who will be working to shore-up the infield defensively.
But defense begins behind the plate, and all three catchers on this season’s roster are among the team’s more experienced players. This year’s catchers include:
Kiersten Withstandley
The Freehold native returns as the projected starting catcher for the 2022 season, looking to build on her sophomore year, where she batted .219 and ranked third on the team in hits and RBIs in 44 games with the Scarlet Knights. Withstandley’s true value to the team is in her defense, where she posted a .980 fielding percentage.
Gillian Walsh
The junior transfer from Kutztown University split her time between catcher and infield, batting .294 with a .786 OPS and a .412 slugging percentage in limited duty (22 games). However, with an .889 fielding percentage, Walsh figures to be spending her time in a backup role.
Katie Wingert
After a standout freshman season (2019) that saw the Carlisle, Pa native clout 18 home runs, there has been a subsequent power outage, and Wingert saw limited duty in 2021. Appearing in only 10 games, she batted a meager .188, and was relegated to the designated hitter role.
While the starting catcher figures to be in place for the Knights, pitching remains unsettled going into the 2022 season. Rutgers pitchers were ineffective last season, and this year has an infusion of youth that while promising, may not bode well for the long season ahead.
Ashley Hitchcock
The Perrysburg, Ohio native was the picture of endurance last season, logging a team-leading 135.1 innings pitched with a 5.64 ERA and seven complete games. Hitchcock appeared in 34 games (24 starts) with 90 strikeouts, surrendering 157 hits and 89 walks. In her limited plate appearances, she batted .385 (5-for-13) with no extra base hits. For the Knights to have an improved season, the junior will need to step up to be the leader on the pitching staff this year.
Jaden Vickers
The academic All-Big Ten pitcher from Crystal River, Fla. started five games of her 23 total appearances in 2021 with a 7.49 ERA. Vickers rang up 35 strikeouts in her 47.2 innings pitched. Of the 66 hits she surrendered, 17 of them were for extra bases, with 32 walks.
Lilly Oroczo
Entering her first season with the Scarlet Knights, the La Mirada, Calif. native will likely be splitting her time between the mound and the outfield this season. Orozco brings a much-needed lefty arm to the Scarlet Knights for the upcoming season.
Georgie Ingle
The freshman southpaw comes to Rutgers from her home in Conover, NC. Whether she, or Orozco, end up being the third starter to replace the departed Izzy Berouty remains to be seen, but one would expect Ingle to be splitting her time between first base and the pitcher’s mound.
Outscored by a nearly 3-1 margin last season (301 to 111) the Knights will need to manufacture runs this season while relying on an unsure pitching staff to keep opponents’ bats under control. They will have the chance to work out some of these issues during the Puerto Vallarta Challenge when the team opens against Arkansas on February 10. That will be followed by games against Memphis, Lamar and Washington before traveling to Greenville, S.C. on February 18 for games against Wagner, East Carolina and Colgate.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
•Talk about it inside The Round Table Message Board
•Talk about it inside the FREE Rutgers Olympics Sports Forum