SMETHPORT – Experience will be a big plus this season for the
Smethport girls softball team.

Fourteen letterwinners are back from the 2008 team that went
21-2, won the District 9 championship and advanced to the
quarterfinals of the PIAA playoffs.

There are three senior letterwinners – captains Bobbi Mitchell,
Erica Lathrop and Alyssa Cunningham.

Experienced juniors and sophomores and some freshmen are on the
2009 roster.

Other letterwinners back this season are juniors Danielle
Nielsen, Kayla Berlin, Jenna Duffy, Taylor Burdick; sophomores
Logan Akers, Erica Vinca, Mary Wilber, Lisa Master, Nicole Kreiner,
Courtney Schuler and Brook Taggert.

Other sophomores include Amanda Vossler and Sam Walker. Shannon
Hughes, Stacey Herzog and Kaitlyn Billyard are the freshmen.

According to Dr. Jim Kane, head coach, and Chris Lightner
assistant coach, “Despite losing three Big 30 All-Stars – pitchers
Diana Phalon and Emma Hahn and catcher Lauren Kinniburgh to
graduation – this team will be solid on defense at every
position.”

Propsects for filling those positions will pitchers Schuler,
Akers and Nielsen.

Vossler, Duffy, Billyard and Hughes are the propsects for
catcher.

Kane and Lightner pointed to other team strengths – speed and
baserunning.

“The girls have lots of experience playing the game and are
committed to playing summer travel games,” they noted.

The team and coaches are looking forward to this year’s
schedule, which Kane and Lightner called, “Exciting.”

DuBois Central Catholic and Punsutawney are on the schedule for
the first time, increasing the challenge to make it to the
playoffs.

Then, of course, there are traditional rivals, Otto-Eldred,
Northern Potter, Kane and Coudersport.

Kane took over the head coaching duties this season after
serving as an assistant to Lightner. During her six seasons,
Lightner’s career record stands at 118-13.

Last year, the Lady Hubbers’ only regular season loss was to
Coudersport in 10 innings.

Smethport opens the season Wednesday hosting Bradford.