CALDWELL, Idaho – A key to the NAIA Softball World Series run for The College of Idaho was the play of their middle infielders. Though the 2022 Coyotes must replace their corners, the experience up-the-middle will be crucial to their success this season.
C of I will have to replace
Trystin Crofts and
Lacie Miller, mainstays in the line-up throughout their Coyote careers. Crofts, the Yotes third baseman, rewrote the offensive record book, setting new school marks for hits, runs and RBI, finishing her senior season hitting .361 with 15 doubles and 40 RBI. Miller, who handled first-base duties, had her best season in 2021, hitting .281 with five home runs and 21 RBI.
Despite the losses, the tandem of
Haley Loffer and
Kylie Smith will provide C of I the leadership and experience on the dirt.
Loffer had a monster 2021, earning All-Cascade Conference and NAIA honorable mention All-America honors. The fourth-year shortstop hit .359 with 15 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 34 RBI, adding 28 stolen bases – setting a new school record with 68 runs scored in a season. She came up clutch in the postseason, hitting home runs in three consecutive games.
Smith returns for a fifth season as the Yotes second baseman – a year after earning the CCC's Gold Glove Award for the position. She hit .319 on the season with 15 doubles and 36 RBI, while giving C of I a steady influence on the right side of the infield.
Look for sophomore
Kaylee MacDannald to serve as the back-up at shortstop, after hitting .243 with nine RBI in limited action in 2021. Fellow sophomore
Hannah Mikel will be a back-up at second, coming off a big rookie season where she hit .393 with two homers and 14 RBI – including a big go-ahead 2-run single vs. Southern Oregon at the NAIA World Series. Also look for newcomer
Makayla Frias to back up at the middle infield slots, after earning All-Sacramento Valley honors at Colusa High in California.
Replacing Crofts at the hot corner is sophomore
Kaily Christensen, who earned All-CCC honors in 2021 as a designated player. Christensen set a school record by playing in 62 games, hitting .362 with 17 doubles and a team-best 50 RBI, posting 19 multi-hit games.
Transfer Lindsay Jones will back-up Christensen at third, as the Treasure Valley CC product hit .315 with 12 RBI during her final season in Ontario.
The Yotes have options at first base, with
Tanner Higgins the leading candidate heading into the season. The senior started 23 games in 2021, hitting .274 with two home runs and 23 RBI. The Yotes three top pitchers are also in the mix at first, as both
Hannah McNerney and
Katelyn Wilfert started five games at the position and
Annie Polster started three. Wilfert has a potent bat, hitting .281 with eight RBI in limited plate appearances.
Two newcomers – transfer Kennedy Sorensen, from Treasure Valley CC, and freshman
Maisie Neilson from Minico High, are also battling for playing time at first.
Sydney Zachry returns behind the plate, having started 32 games a season ago. The third-year Coyote hit .348 on the year, driving in 11 runs.
Two newcomers look to contend for innings at catcher – as freshman
Madison Kinsey and transfer
Hallie Holland have been impressive during fall and winter workouts. Kinsey was an All-Mid Columbia Conference pick at Kamiakin High and played for the Washington Angels club team, while Holland, originally from Victoria, B.C., helped Grayson CC win the Region 5 title and earn a trip to the NJCAA World Series.
Three returners will also be in the mix at catcher – juniors
Lauren Gordon and
Jalyssa Beamer, along with sophomore Lauren Thomson. Gordon hit .263 in limited action last season, while Beamer and Thomson did not see game time.
C of I opens their 2022 season next weekend with six games in Arizona, beginning Friday with a doubleheader at Ottawa University.
