King, Otahkians eager to improve on runnerup finish

Kristen King didn't think much of her rookie softball season at Southeast Missouri State University.

"Last year was a big disappointment," King said. "My pitching was horrible. I just didn't have my game."

But King is confident things will be a lot different this season, which begins today with a noon doubleheader at home against Mississippi (9-4). The three-day Southeast Softball Classic that was scheduled for this weekend has been canceled because of expected bad weather.

"I feel a lot more confident with myself," King, a senior, said. "We changed a lot of stuff last year in my style and I felt like a freshman. This year we went back to my junior college style and I feel a lot more comfortable."

Southeast coach Lana Richmond said King will be a key to an Otahkian pitching staff whose other two members are freshmen.

"I'm looking for Kristen to give our staff a lot of experience and be a leader," Richmond said. "Last year she got stronger as the season went on. This year she's in great shape and she's been real consistent so far."

After earning All-American honors at Kankakee (Ill.) Community College, King went 9-14 with a 2.71 earned-run average last year as the Otahkians' No. 2 hurler behind Jenny Doehring.

Now, with Doehring having transferred after earning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Southeast's pitching duties will lie with King and touted freshmen Kelly Birk and Rachel Van Fleet.

"I feel really good with the two freshmen and King," Richmond said. "King is coming back with experience and our two freshmen throw very hard. The big thing with them will be consistency."

King said she looks for the Otahkians to field a strong pitching staff.

"I think we'll do well," she said. "Last year, I was the only full-time pitcher but this year we've got three. I think our pitching staff is better than last year."

Doehring also played at shortstop last season in addition to sharing time at pitcher.

Plenty of experience

Although the Otahkians lost their top two players from last year in Doehring and catcher Renee Enos, who graduated and is now an assistant coach, they return plenty of experience from a team that went 25-25 and finished second in the OVC with a 16-5 record.

Seven position players who started at least 30 games last season return while three others started at least nine games.

The Otahkians, who won five straight OVC championships from 1995-99 before finishing third in 2000 and second last year, have been picked third this season.

"The team feels that was low and they have higher expectations," Richmond said.

Southeast's top returning hitter is Brooke Nett (.264), who is still rounding into form after having shoulder surgery in the fall. She has been moved from shortstop to second base to cut down on the distance of her throws. Dawn Piantino, last year's third baseman, is now at short.Roherty joins team

Junior Kristy Roherty, a backup guard on the Southeast basketball team, is playing softball for the first time this year. The infielder was an all-state high school softball player in Wisconsin.

Two local products, junior Michelle Lunsford (Central High School) and sophomore Stacy DeClue (Jackson High School), figure to be used in utility roles. Richmond said Lunsford is the Otahkians' fastest player and should turn out to be a key pinch-runner.

Lunsford and DeClue are both junior college transfers, Lunsford from Shawnee (Ill.) and DeClue from East Central (Mo.).

mmishow@semissourian.com

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