Alva Review-Courier -

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers' softball team has been preparing all fall and winter for the upcoming season, and it is almost here. After participating in multiple intercollegiate scrimmages in the fall, along with weight training, positional drills, and conditioning, the Tigers are ready for a successful 2017 softball season.

Last season, the team finished the season in 11th place in the Great American Conference and a 19-32 record. Head coach Mike McGhee attributed the Tigers' struggles last season to an extreme amount of errors. He believes, however, that this year's team will be tougher mentally and able to play better defensively.

"Our biggest problem last year was that we led the conference in errors," coach McGhee said. "There are freshmen coming in who are filling in some problem positions and can make the plays. I think we've eliminated that problem."

The Tigers come into the 2017 season with a much younger look. There are multiple freshmen who are expected to be starters from the beginning. Coach McGhee believes that these young players will play well this season and are bringing a hunger for success to the team.

However, as is with all young players, coach McGhee expects an adjustment period for these newcomers. Softball at the collegiate level will bring new challenges and the players are going to need some time to adjust to the speed of the game. Coach McGhee believes that the team will improve drastically as the season progresses and the younger players become acclimated to the college game.

"As the season goes on, I think we will become even stronger."

While there are a many young players contributing to the team, there are key returners who will be playing a big role on the team. There are three seniors on the team – Macy Nantz, Daniella Brantley, and Logan Even. Nantz and Brantley have been starters since the beginning of their collegiate careers and coach McGhee expects them to play a large role in leading the team.

"I think that the seniors will do a great job in leading the team. They've had a few bad years because we haven't had the depth or the athletic ability, but they see the talent in the young kids that are here and I think that will motivate them to help them even more."

Coach McGhee expects this season to be a successful one for the Tigers. Ouachita was picked 11th in the GAC preseason coaches poll, but coach McGhee is not concerned with preseason predictions and expects the team to use the poll as motivation to prove their doubters wrong.

"The poll could be bulletin board material, and I will be putting that on bulletin board before conference play starts. Even though we were picked to be 11th, we're going to prove that we're different."

Ouachita will begin their journey to a successful season at home on Saturday, Feb. 4. The first game of the day is against Rogers State and begins at 10 a.m.