There are three new things that are here for this 2018 softball season. One, five seniors have since graduated in the 2016-2017 season leaving a void to be filled. Two, a hall of fame coach known as Shelia Gulas chose to retire. Last there is a new head and assistant coach for the softball team this year and they are ready to reach the bar that was set by the previous coach.

Emlyn Knerem was named as the new head coach after Gulas retired. Knerem grew up in Brunswick and started playing softball when she was just 10 years old. Her home was on top of the pitchers mound but she played infield on her off days.

Knerem is a 2012 AU graduate and played under Gulas during her time as an Eagle. The legacy that Gulas led for so many years will continue as Knerem will use what she learned from her old coach and add it to her own coaching skills.

Maddy Grimm was named as the assistant coach for this season. Knerem met Grimm when she was an assistant coach at Kent State.

“She was an extremely talented athlete on the field with great knowledge of the game, so I knew she would be a pertinent addition to my staff,” Knerem said.

Last season the Ashland University Eagles softball team went 30-23 overall and 13-9 in the GLIAC. The team went on to the GLIAC tournament and placed second behind Saginaw Valley State.

Going into the season, many things that will stay the same.

“I learned a great deal from Coach Gulas, so there will be parts of her coaching sprinkled throughout our program,” Knerem said. “My plan is to continue the tradition of hard work, dedication, and love the game, while implementing new ideas and drills into practice and games.”

This year the team is filled with upperclassmen and includes two seniors. So they have a lot of experience for going into this year’s season and could possibly win a GLIAC Championship.

When asked about the goals for this year’s team new Knerem said, “Our number one goal is to return to the GLIAC tournament and win the championship. We want to attack opponents, never settle for just one win, and play to the best of our ability.”

The team is behind their coach with the common goal of winning all in their minds.

“Our team motto is ‘consistency wins,’” pitcher Abbie Sgro said. “As a team we play as one unit none above another but all as one together. Our main goal this year is to attack each game from the very beginning.”

The softball season started on Feb. 23 with four road games in Illinois and the team is sitting with a current 6-8 record. The Eagles started off the season with a 4-1 loss against William Jewell. Later that day, the team came back and tied up their record 1-1 with a 10-5 win against Lewis. Sophomore Camille Pollutro added to the team’s win with her first collegiate home run.

The second day the team won both of their games, playing Lindenwood into extra innings and Wisconsin-Parkside. The Eagles won 6-4 against Lindenwood on a wild pitch followed by a fielding error.

Two last minute runs gave the Eagles the advantage over Wisconsin-Parkland as they won 4-3 and moved to 3-1 on the season.

Over spring break, the team played a total of 10 games in a span of five days and came out winning three of those games and losing the other seven.

The first win of the week came in a matchup against Wayne State with an ending score of 13-8. A seven run lead in the top of the fifth helped the team take the upper hand while junior Paige Summers also helped drive in five runs.

The second day the Eagles lost two straight games to Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State. The Eagles came back the third day and split the games winning the first and losing the second. They beat Felician 5-2, by scoring all of their runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Day four brought another split after a 8-6 loss against Saint Anselm. The team went into their next game ready to claim a victory over Northern State and came out with a 1-0 win.

The last day of the Eagles five day trip ended in them dropping back-to-back games against Quincy and West Chester.

The team’s next game will be a double header at Ohio Dominican on St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17) starting at 1 and 3 p.m.