Under sixth-year Head Coach Erica Mehalick, the Drew University softball team will take to the field with high hopes after a strong 2022 season in which they finished 24-15 overall, good for the third-most victories in team history.
 
The team brings back a number of its top performers from last season, including three All-Landmark Conference selections, two of whom were also named all-region.
 
In the circle, the Blue and Green return four pitchers from last season, including sophomore Teagan Bradley. She captured first-team all-conference and third-team all-region recognition after an impressive rookie season in which she compiled a 9-6 record with a 2.85 ERA while leading the team with 98 1/3 innings pitched. Over 15 games and 13 starts she collected 65 strikeouts and just 18 walks while tossing a pair of shutouts. An outstanding two-way player, Bradley also made a big impact at first base and designated player. She finished as the Rangers' third-leading hitter, batting .333, while tying for the team lead with four home runs. Defensively, she recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 72 chances.
 
Senior Bailey Comeau also returns as an outstanding performer over the last three years for the Rangers. Last season, she finished 6-8 with a 3.57 ERA over 20 appearances and 15 starts. She worked 10 complete games, including one shutout, and notched one save while leading the team with 93 strikeouts over 94 innings. A First-Team All-Landmark Conference selection in 2021, she has racked up 177 strikeouts over 238 innings for her career.
 
Senior Brianna Seals and sophomore Tyler Saunders are also back. Seals is coming off a season in which she finished 3-1 over seven games and five starts a year ago while Saunders went 3-0 in three appearances and two starts. Freshman Amanda Novak will provide an additional option for the Rangers.
 
Drew brings back a pair of catchers this season in junior Madi Baldwin and sophomore Delaney O'Donoghue. Baldwin played in 37 games and made 35 starts last season and tied for third on the team with seven doubles. O'Donoghue made 33 appearances and 31 starts last season, batting .270 while throwing out four basestealers.
 
Bradley will see time at first base when she is not pitching while sophomore transfer Mackenzie Pisani will also vie for playing time.
 
The middle infield will be occupied by sophomore Fran O'Kleasky and freshmen Aurora Marino and Haley Meierhofer. O'Kleasky is coming off a strong debut season in which she played in all 39 games at second base, batting .272 with a team-leading nine doubles, two triples, and three home runs.

At third base, Marino and first-years Ashlyn Cassetty and Josie Di Troia will compete for playing time.
 
In the outfield, Drew brings back two of its top performers from last season in fifth-year Madi Precht and senior Molly O'Brien.
 
Prect was named both First-Team All-Landmark Conference and first-team all-region after an outstanding season in which she broke school records for both hits (53) and runs scored (42) while batting .445. In addition, she went 19-for-22 on stolen-base attempts, finishing second on the team but breaking the former school record entering the year. Precht also led the team in triples (six) and was second in RBIs (27). A defensive standout in centerfield, she finished with four outfield assists while turning in numerous highlight-reel catches throughout the season. 
 
O'Brien returns as a Second-Team All-Landmark Conference selection. She started all 39 games – mostly in leftfield – while finishing as the team's second-leading hitter at .358. She led the team in RBIs (29) and tied for the team lead in homers (four) while breaking the program record for stolen bases, finishing 23-for-25. She also finished second in runs with 36, a mark that tied the Drew record entering the year.
 
Junior Francesca Laurito is also back after playing in 14 games and making seven starts a year ago. In addition, sophomore transfer Deja Robinson and freshman Zoey Shimp will also seek playing time in the outfield.
 
Drew opens its season with a six-day, 10-game spring break trip to Naples, Florida. The team plays its home opener versus Kean on March 15 and its Landmark Conference opener against Scranton on March 25.