Season Review: Softball records another successful season under Head Coach Ali Hess in 2015

By: Ashley Birchmeier

ADA - The 2015 Ohio Northern Softball team had another winning season under second year head coach Ali Hess.

The Polar Bears finished the season 24-14 overall, were 12-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference and runner-up in the OAC Tournament.

Freshman Kirsten Lightel was named the OAC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, was First Team All-Conference, Second Team All-Central Region, and was named to the OAC All-Tournament Team.

Lightel pitched 149 total innings, recording 17 wins and 120 strikeouts in 2015. The freshman is tenth all-time in ONU history in strikeouts, seventh in innings pitched, and fourth in wins.

Freshman Jenna Hollar was named Second Team All-Conference, Third Team All-Central Region, and was named a member of the OAC All-Tournament Team.

Hollar recorded 27 stolen bases, the second most in a single season in school history and posted a team best 43 hits with a .384 batting average.

Senior Taylor Manahan also received Honorable Mention All-OAC honors, and was named Academic All-OAC.

Also receiving Academic All-OAC honors were junior Amanda Lahti and sophomore Kirsten Burden.

Manahan started all 38 games this season at first base for the Polar Bears. She recorded a team-high 256 put outs and held a .996 field percentage. The senior made 98 plate appearances with 26 hits and a .265 average in 2015.

Lahti hit .347 while appearing in all 38 games at catcher for ONU. She recorded 23 RBIs on 41 hits.

Burden made 10 appearances on the mound for the Polar Bears with five starts. She compiled 28 strikeouts with a 5.43 ERA.

Senior Jamie Westenkirchner received All-OAC Tournament team honors following an outstanding game 3 performance against Capital.

Westenkirchner forced extra innings in the contest as she plated the tying run following an RBI single to right field. The senior went 2-for-4 in the game with 1 RBI.

The Polar Bears opened the 2015 season with its annual spring break trip to Clermont, Fla., where they went 9-4 overall.

Upon returning home, Northern split a series with 2015 Conference Champions Heidelberg to move to 10-5 overall.

During the series, freshman Gia Saturday led ONU, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

Northern dropped a double header to conference foe Mount Union, but bounced back during a four game home stint, as they swept both Wilmington and John Carroll to move to 15-6 overall, 6-2 OAC.

Lightel led the team during the stretch recording 22 strikeouts and pitching three complete games.

ONU dropped three of the next four road games to move to 16-9 overall, 7-5 OAC but swept the remainder of its home schedule by defeating Baldwin Wallace and Marietta on Senior Day to post a 9-1 record at the ONU Softball Field.

ONU entered the OAC Tournament 21-12 overall, 12-6 OAC and held the number three seed.

In game one of the tournament, Northern fell to second-seeded Capital, 6-3.

The Polar Bears then took on fourth seeded John Carroll, where Lightel recorded a 1-hit shutout en-route to the 3-0 victory.

In game three, the Polar Bears avenged an earlier loss to Capital and posted a thrilling 10-inning victory to move to the championship round against tournament host Heidelberg.

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning and facing elimination, junior Tessa Topp led a 6-run rally that gave ONU a 6-3 win and forced a deciding game seven.

The Polar Bears would come up short in game seven as it saw its season come to an end with a 9-3 decision to Heidelberg.