What | DePaul Dome Tournament
Where | Parkway Bank Sports Complex (Rosemont, Ill.)
When | Friday, Feb. 12 - Sunday, Feb. 14
Watch | DePaul All-Access
WIU Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 13 | vs. Valparaiso at 9 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 13 | vs. Loyola-Chicago at 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 | vs. Loyola-Chicago at 9 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 | vs. DePaul at 11:30 a.m.
All games will be live-streamed and have live stats except for the matchup versus Valparaiso.
Taking Over the Reins
Two new faces will be leading Western Illinois softball this season: Alisa Goler and Collin Hopkins.
Announced as head coach last June, Goler is now the fourth one in program history. The Illinois native brings experience after being on staff at Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, and Roosevelt University.
A former three-time All-American at the University of Georgia, Goler had a highly-decorated playing career. She achieved four first-team All-Southeast Region selections, three first-team All-SEC honors, and became a finalist for the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She also set UGA single-season records for batting average (.455), slugging percentage (.994), on-base percentage (.551), home runs (24), extra-base hits (41), RBIs (83), and total bases (164).
Hopkins, the Leathernecks' lone assistant coach, was welcomed to the staff in late-July 2020 after acting as a graduate assistant coach for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His duties in Louisiana primarily centered on training pitchers, scouting opponents, and assisting with practice operations.
Attending MacMurray College from 2014-18, Hopkins earned four varsity letters at pitcher and was named a three-time academic all-conference honoree by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Before college, he represented his country as a USA Softball Junior Men's National Team member. His resume also includes championship appearances in the Amateur Softball Association, International Softball Congress, North American Fastpitch Association, and 2017 MVP honors from the latter.
On the Radar
Seniors Abby Carlin and Alyssa Ealy received recognition earlier this week when the two were tabbed 'players to watch' in the Summit League this season.
Carlin started nine of 11 appearances in the circle during the shortened 2020 spring season. She totaled 62.2 innings of work while collecting a 3-5 record with a 2.01 ERA. The lefty pitcher struck out 42 batters and only allowed seven walks. In a 6-2 win over DePaul last March, Carlin finished with a 14-strikeout game - a career-high and good for fifth-best all-time in individual game records. Her seven completed games pitched was also a career-high.
A starter for all 19 games last year, Ealy posted a team-best .362 batting average, had 21 hits, and led the Leathernecks in stolen bases (9). Last February, a two-week stretch saw her steal two bases twice in games versus Grand Canyon and Northern Illinois. Ealy walked ten times and scored 12 runs with a .456 on-base percentage.
Back in the Mix
Joining Carlin and Ealy are ten additional returners, giving Western a solid veteran roster. Sydney Hollings and Meghan Henson are back for fifth-year seasons. Both catchers have seen a good deal of experience and success in their careers - earning past all-league honors. Ashley Minyard rounds out the senior group as an outfielder who started all 19 games in 2020.
Kyra Kroll and Savannah Rodriguez enter their junior seasons, playing at outfielder and pitcher, respectively. Rodriguez started seven games as a sophomore and struck out a career-high 35 batters. A group of five makes up WIU's sophomore class - Maddy Anderson, Daytona Dooley, Abrianna Gracia, Piper Foote, and Kellie Marcheschi. Foote was another 19-game starter last spring, while Anderson and Marcheschi both contain the ability to play pitcher and in the infield. Dooley appeared in 15 games and made nine starts as a freshman. Gracia, an infielder, is back and healthy following a first-year campaign that saw her redshirt due to injury.
New to the Crew
Junior Ami Ill comes in as a transfer from the University of Toledo, where she played a vital role in the outfield as an underclassman. Five first-years have joined the Leathernecks' squad - Bella Alvarez, Kayla DePoorter, Gabriela Drager, Jorja Hudson, and Torince Muczynski. Each should bring something unique to their position(s) after enjoying stellar high school careers.
Road Runs
In a familiar fashion, Western will start the spring season away from their home field. The team's first 20 games are all set to be on the road, with competition happening at four different tournaments.
Scouting the Opposition
Valparaiso went 9-10 overall a season ago and now contains 11 underclassmen out of the 20-player roster. Outfielder Peyton Moeder returns after leading the Crusaders in batting average (.310), hits (18), on-base percentage (.412), and stolen bases (11). The junior also ranked second on the team in runs scored and walks (10). Easton Seib, a pitcher, made ten appearances as a first-year, posting a 2.16 ERA in 35.2 innings of work. WIU has a 56-8 record versus Valparaiso in a series that began back in 1987. The two programs also spend 15 seasons together in the former Mid-Continent Conference.
Loyola-Chicago had a 12-9 record in 2020. Sydney Ruggles is back for her junior season after producing solidly last year in the circle with a 1.71 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. Her 6-2 record ranked the highest on the team. Allyson Ivey, a senior, hit .306 (19-for-62) with five doubles, two homers, and 21 RBIs this past season. Western leads 7-6 in the all-time series.
DePaul, the host team, pieced an 8-12 overall record last spring. WIU successfully swept the Blue Demons, 2-0, in the 2020 Saluki Invitational. Gabby O'Riley finished second on the team in both hits (19) and RBIs (16). Maranda Gutierrez tallied 18 hits and a .630 slugging percentage. A few of DePaul's returners attained All-Big East recognition for their play in the 2019 season, including O'Riley and Gutierrez. DePaul holds a 23-9 record against the Leathernecks.
