Promising 2020 softball season cut short

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Prior to the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 softball season, the Defiance College softball team finished their annual Spring Break trip to Florida with a 4-6 record. With the coronavirus shortening the spring sports season, Defiance completes the campaign at 5-9 overall.

In late February, the Yellow Jackets traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to play in a round-robin invitational against Fontbonne University and Rhodes College. Defiance finished the weekend with a 15-5 victory over the Lynx's, and on the weekend, the Purple and Gold offense plated 32 runs in four games.

"In Tennessee, we saw some really exciting things from our offense," said second-year head coach Megan Warren. "It was great to see Brooke Gostomsky get player of the week honors so early, and I think our team was confident in their hitting when we returned." 

The Yellow Jackets then went on to face ranked competition in the sunshine state, as they played ten games as part of The Spring Games tournament. Defiance opened up the week with two wins against Penn State Brandywine and Simmons University. Later in the week, the Yellow Jackets would add two more wins against Olivet College and Carnegie Mellon University. 

"We knew we'd be playing some very tough competition in Florida, and I thought it was a good challenge for our team," Warren commented about the Florida schedule. "Obviously, the outcome was not what we wanted, but I was proud of the way we played against a lot of those teams, specifically Nebraska Wesleyan and #14 Carthage. We were hoping to prepare for our really competitive conference season, and I think we would have come out of Florida ready for that." 

After the HCAC decided to cancel the spring sports seasons on March 18, Defiance did the same. Where no conference contests had been played, Defiance still made an impact landing several Yellow Jackets at the top of the HCAC standings. 

In the offensive categories, three Yellow Jackets finished in the top five for runs batted in, including senior Brooke Gostomsky (Convington, Ohio/ Covington), who knocked in 14 RBI on the season. While sophomores Kalin Hubble (Anderson, Indiana/ Anderson) and Sophie Moller (Pickerington, Ohio / Pickerington North) both concluded the season with 12 RBI apiece. 

Gostomsky and Hubble also lead the way for the HCAC in the home run category, where Defiance was tied at the top with six total home runs as a team in the shortened season. Gostomsky led the HCAC with three home runs, which landed her in the Defiance College record books tied for the most career home runs with 18. 

In the circle for the Yellow Jackets, two experienced pitchers landed themselves among the top five of the HCAC leaderboard. Senior Sydney Zeuch (Mason, Ohio / Mount Notre Dame) recorded three wins, where she started in six games and tallied 17 strikeouts. Junior Taylor Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills) also had an impressive mark on the HCAC finishing the season with 30 strikeouts and a save as she started in six games and made nine appearances. 

Reflecting on the unprecedented end to the season, Coach Warren said, "I hope that our returners use this as a reminder that their time in our program and at Defiance is not promised and it helps all of us to remember what's truly important." She added, "I'm hurt for our whole team because the fun part of the season is to see how the team grows together and gets better from the beginning to the end, but I'm most sad for our seniors."

The 2020 roster had six seniors including pitcher Sydney Zeuch, outfielders Arianna Richards (Covington, Ohio / Covington) and Jessica Mello (Vermilion, Ohio / Vermilion), middle infielder Jada Lopez (Leipsic, Ohio / Leipsic), first baseman Brooke Gostomsky, as well as student manager Mariah Huff (Galloway, Ohio / Mogadore). 

"This group is really special to me, and I just wish they would have gotten to see all their hard work pay off," said Warren. "They've handled this better than anyone could have expected, and I think it just shows how great of a group they are. I think they were able to feel what was coming, and it may have helped them prepare for it mentally, but they've still been incredible role models in a really challenging time, and I can't explain how proud of them I am."