Despite going .500 in conference play in 2018 -- a nice step in a transition year under new head coach Bailey Wittenauer -- the Rockhurst softball team left last season with a sour taste in their mouth. The Hawks lost out on a tiebreaker that kept them out of the GLVC Tournament.

"That was a hard one," Wittenauer said. "We found out on the bus ride home from Illinois Springfield that our season was over. I think that has really fueled us going into this season. This team has really worked on the details this offseason. We are stronger and mentally tougher than we were this time last year."

The Hawks are motivated and ready to make some noise in Wittenauer's second season. They return several key contributors from last year's team.

"We are fortunate enough to have our starting pitcher back from last year in Shannon Greene," Wittenauer said. "She threw the most innings in the league last year and really held it down for us. Shannon is an outstanding pitcher and I look forward to her having a great senior season."

Greene logged 260 innings for the Hawks in 2018. She won 20 games, posting a 2.10 ERA with 127 strikeouts.

Rockhurst returns some key cogs offensively as well in catcher/third baseman Hanna Stam (.338, 51 hits, 34 RBI, 33 runs) and infielder Lauren Marks (.303, 47 hits, 33 runs).

Some newcomers to keep an eye on include Olivia Prather, a transfer pitcher from Northeastern Oklahoma; Shelby Winkelman, a freshman utility player from Wheaton, Illinois; and Calli Wibbenmeyer, a freshman first basemen from Columbia, Illinois.

"Overall, our roster has grown, but so has the competition amongst our team," Wittenauer said. "It is a really exciting time for our program because of our depth and versatility on our team."

Competition breeds character, and with the hunger carrying over from last year, combined with skilled, experienced players coming back, as well as some talented new additions, the Hawks have a high character group heading into the 2019 season.

Rockhurst opens the season this weekend at the Music City Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee. View the complete schedule here: https://rockhursthawks.com/schedule.aspx?path=softball.