WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 24) – Heading into his second year as head coach of the Waynesburg University softball team, Lou Giachetti returns most of his starting lineup from last year's youthful squad that produced a 14-16 overall record and went 5-9 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).

However, despite having seven players back that started at least 20 games each last season, Giachetti has a gaping hole to fill in the circle and behind the plate after the graduation of ace pitcher Autumn Minor and veteran catcher Kristyn Klueg.

“It's going to be pretty hard,” Giachetti admitted. “They were both four-year starters. Klueg caught pretty much every game of her four years and Autumn re-wrote the pitching record book.”

While his veteran starters, who were both all-conference performers during their days with the Yellow Jackets, are gone, the cupboard is far from bare. Hard-throwing junior Amanda Baughman, who was the team's number-two pitcher last year, is expected to move up and assume the ace role. The Washington, Pa. native went 6-6 last year with a 4.80 ERA. She struck out 66 batters over 77.1 innings.

Baughman is also the team's top returning hitter. Last year, she led the team with a .325 batting average and belted a squad-best four homeruns. She also tallied 16 RBI, the second-highest total on the team, and slugged .542.

To replenish his pitching depth, Giachetti plans on moving last year's starting shortstop, Kristen Lautenschlager, from the infield to the pitching circle. Several freshman pitchers will add depth to the rotation.

As far as who the hurlers will be throwing to, the competition for the number-one catcher's spot has been one of the best of the season. Junior Tonya Tanner will battle with talented freshmen Liz Bombarra and Harley Davidson for the top job.  

“I expect Tanner to step up and do a great job,” Giachetti said. “However, the two freshmen are also going to play key roles. One thing I learned last year was you can never have enough pitching and enough catching.”

Moving away from the pitchers and catchers, Waynesburg brings a player with ample starting time back from last year's team. Junior Elysia Orison started 20 games at first and is expected to return as the starter. Senior Bre Kokladas is expected to again spend the year as the team's second baseman, while sophomore Samantha Volponi is the team's top option at third.

Lautenschlager returns after starting 19 games at shortstop and she'll be pushed by talented freshman Rachael Moon.

This year's outfielders are led by junior Amber Pivik, who is expected to start in centerfield for the third-straight year. After a bit of a down year at the plate in 2009, she'll look to regain her hitting prowess from 2008, when she hit .319 with a team-high 10 doubles, three homeruns and 15 RBI.

At the corner spots, Giachetti did not rule out an outfielder-by-committee approach. The front runners for those spots include junior Nicole Forte, sophomore Jaime Gillum, junior Krista Jackson and junior Lea Salerno. First-year sophomore Brittany Lyle has also impressed Giachetti and brings a skillful glove to the team.

After the team struggled somewhat as a whole from the plate in 2009, Giachetti plans on putting more emphasis on offensive speed and playing some small ball to keep runners moving on the base pads. However, he believes his defense is proficient enough to keep his team in games as the offense and pitching works through some early-season rust.

After getting his first taste of the college game in 2009, Giachetti, who was a highly successful high school coach at nearby Waynesburg Central, is chomping at the bit to get 2010 underway.

“I'm excited about another season,” Giachetti said. “We have a much bigger schedule this year after I was able to do my own scheduling. We were just a few innings away from making the PAC Tournament. If we can do a better job at winning games late, we have a good shot at being a winning team.”