Last week's warmer temperatures, gave Ashland, Ohio a brief look at spring weather. While the temperatures fell to seasonal averages this week, the AU softball team continues to prepare for the upcoming 2011 season.

The Eagles will begin the season 15th in the NFCA poll. The only other team from the GLIAC to appear in that poll is Wayne State, who begins the 2011 campaign fifth. Wayne State ended the Eagles season a year ago in the Midwest Super Regional, handing the Eagles 7-1 and 4-0 losses in Detroit, Mich. Last season, the Eagles were 2-4 against the Warriors. The two teams will meet for a pair of twin bills on April 22 and 23 at Brookside Park.

Head coach Sheliah Gulas is entering her 15th season at Ashland and is the current wins leader with a record of 494-233. She has been voted by her colleagues as the GLIAC coach of the year each of the last two seasons.

Ashland returns eight starters from last season's squad, but will be looking to replace the likes of Carrie Hosier and Samantha Hendrix in the lineup.

"Carrie had the ability to score from first on a base-hit," Gulas said. "As a team, we will have to be alert and aggressive to find a way to take more bases than we did last year." Hosier was second in the GLIAC in runs last season with 43.

Junior pitcher Emlyn Knerem was named to the Daktronics second team All-America a season ago, after her 23-5 record in the circle. Knerem accumulated 194.1 innings with an ERA of 1.04 which put her sixth in the NCAA in that category. She threw 10 shutouts including two no-hitters in 2010. In her career she has posted a 40-13 record with a 1.43 ERA.

Joining Knerem on the second team All-America list a year ago was senior 1B/P Logan Hursey. Last season, Hursey hit .381 with eight homers and 45 RBI which was good enough for second in the GLIAC. Joining Hursey in the GLIAC RBI rankings a season ago, junior third baseman Alyssa Kelley also knocked in 45 runs.

Knerem and Hursey combined for the fourth best pitching tandem in the nation giving up an average of 1.31 earned runs per game.

"In the past Logan and Emlyn have provided a great one-two punch," Gulas said. "They complement each other very well, and both give the coaching staff and team confidence from their command in the circle."

The tandem posted the second best ERA in the GLIAC a season ago, and held opponents to a .185 batting average while only allowing a league best 75 walks.

The pitching duo will have an experienced defense behind them that tied atop the GLIAC a year ago in fielding percentage.

"We have a strong core coming back this season, a lot of these players have started since their freshman year," Gulas said.

For the fourth consecutive season, the Eagles will open their campaign at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida. "The Florida trip is definitely an opportunity to try some things, and put players in situations to show us what they can contribute to this team," Gulas said. After their spring break trip, the Eagles will travel to Urbana for a double-header, before hosting Walsh in their home opener Mar. 19.