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RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky’s softball team will open its 2010 season on Friday at the Campus Suites Spartan Classic hosted by the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C. The Colonels will face Liberty University at 5 p.m.

The event continues through Sunday. On Saturday EKU will play Maryland-Baltimore County at 11 a.m., and USC Upstate at 1 p.m. Consolation and championship games will be played on Sunday.

A new attitude exists within the Eastern Kentucky softball program. The 2010 Colonels are tougher physically, tougher mentally, and dedicated to returning EKU softball to the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings.

The Colonels will try to rebound from just their third conference losing season ever in 2009. Eastern finished last season 17-27 overall and 8-13 in the OVC. The only other times EKU had losing records in conference play were 1993, the first season of the program’s existence, and 2005. Last season’s squad also missed the OVC tournament for the first time ever.

Five position players, the starting designated hitter and two pitchers return from last season’s team. They’ll be joined by three other returning letter winners and eight newcomers.

The change in attitude is a combination of re-dedication by the 11 returning players and the addition of new energy brought in by eight new Colonels.

“The players we have this year are really buying in,” said head coach Jane Worthington, in her 18th season leading the Colonel program. “I’ve never seen a team work this hard. We’re a much more cohesive team and we’ve developed a family atmosphere. Our teams that have had this characteristic in the past have done very well.”

The 2010 team is deeper at every position on the field, has a deeper pitching rotation, has the versatility needed to navigate through a long season, and can send out a balanced line-up that features speed, power and average.

Part of the team’s new attitude stems from a new training regimen introduced by the coaches this past fall. CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

“The change in our strength program has helped our team get stronger and mentally tougher,” said Worthington. “It’s much more difficult. I’m asking much more of them than I have in the past and they’ve really responded. They’ve learned to dig a little deeper to get through the work outs and I know that will carry over to the field.”

INFIELD
Among Eastern’s returning starters is three-time All-OVC selection Shyenne Hussey. The third baseman led the team and finished sixth in the conference with a .349 batting average and had the second highest on-base percentage (.471) in the OVC. She belted six home runs and drove in 29 runs.

“Shyenne is in the best shape of her career and has really taken to the leadership role,” said Worthington. “Now that she’s a senior, she has that sense of urgency to accomplish her goals, which include leading this team to a championship.”

Hussey will anchor the infield. Sophomore Larkyn Wood and freshman Raquel Howes will take care of the middle infield at second base and shortstop respectively. Junior DeAnn Horswill, a utility player for much of her career, has developed into a starter at first base.

Wood started 28 games last season, primarily at shortstop. She batted .231 her first season and scored 10 runs. The Georgetown, Ky., native will slide over to second base for her sophomore campaign. Howes earned first team all-state recognition in Colorado as a senior and led the state with 13 home runs. Freshman Nikki Bruce adds depth up the middle and will push Wood for playing time at second.

OUTFIELD
Sophomore outfielder Diane Gallagher returns after earning first team all-conference honors as a freshman. She was also selected to the OVC All-Newcomer team. Gallagher finished second in the OVC with 24 stolen bases and was not thrown out attempting to steal all season. She ranked 27th in the nation with an average of 0.55 stolen bases per game.

Gallagher will be joined in the outfield by junior Cassi Gibson and freshman Aimee Spathias. Gibson batted .280 and led the team with 30 runs while starting all 44 games last season. As a freshman she was selected to the OVC All-Newcomer team. Spathias hit .351 and scored 24 runs as a senior at Charter Oak High School in Glendora, Calif.

Sophomore Christina Datko and freshman Melissa Costa will see time in the outfield as well. Datko has improved both defensively and offensively in addition to becoming a more consistent player. Costa was a first team all-conference selection as a junior and senior at Turlock High School. Sophomore Samm Daniels will provide depth in the outfield and the infield when needed.

“We have two talented outfielders with a lot of experience and we have a group of three players that lack experience, but do a lot of positive things that can help us win,” Worthington said. “All of them are quick, we’ll have a pretty fast outfield.”

CATCHERS
Jena Handley, along with Hussey, is one of only two seniors on the team. The three-year starter batted .284 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 17 runs last season. She ranked as the 82nd toughest player in the nation to strike out in 2009. Handley was a second team All-OVC selection as a sophomore.

“Jena can call a good game, nothing is going to get by her and she hits the ball very well,” said Worthington. “We’ll play her at first base as well so we can get our other two catchers game experience.”

Junior Ashley Dollins started 31 times a year ago. Freshman Cheyanne Pounds was a teammate of fellow freshman Raquel Howes for three seasons at Liberty High School in Colorado before finishing her prep career in Texas.

“We have three very solid options that we can mix and match with different pitchers,” Worthington said. “They each bring different strengths to the table.”

PITCHERS
Two pitchers return from last season’s team. Junior Stacye Toups went 4-10 with a 4.60 ERA. Sophomore Brittany Mockbee made 18 appearances and posted a 1-7 record with a 4.27 ERA. Mockbee’s season was hampered by an injury, which ultimately ended her freshman campaign early.

Three newcomers will join the rotation in 2010.

Noelani Esperas earned first team All-America honors and was selected first team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference at Eastern Arizona College last season. She posted a 27-6 record, a 1.40 ERA, and struck out 255 batters in 205 innings. In addition, she batted .372 with six home runs and 30 RBI.

Mea Flores, a freshman, was impressive during the fall season. She had a 0.86 ERA and struck out 148 batters her senior season at Torrance High School. Freshman Kristin Perry totaled more than 1,200 strikeouts for Woodford County High School during her career.

“The combination of being healthy and the influx of new talent have really made us deeper in the circle,” said Worthington. “There isn’t a drop off from the top to the bottom. We’ll be able to weather injuries or inconsistent play much better than we have in the past.”