2015 Schedule | Meet The Softball Panthers (Video) | GLVC Preseason Poll

On the surface, the 2014 Drury Softball campaign was a forgettable year ... with the exception, of course, that head coach Chantiel Wilson wants all those young players involved in the 14-38 campaign to clearly remember just how quickly and consistently they had to grow up and adjust to the college level, in order to compete, as a result of it.

Injuries forced Wilson to force-feed the college game to some very talented youngsters, like shortstop Kari Hillenburg and pitcher Jessica Kjeldgaard, who learned the college game on the fly as a result and had no choice but to become veterans by season's end.

Wilson saw a difference in focus, work ethic and skill level in all of her Panthers in preseason drills last fall, and is excited to see those improvements put to use on the diamond, starting with Drury's season-opening appearance in the Arkansas-Monticello Classic in Bentonville, Ark., Friday through Sunday. Drury opens its 2015 campaign at 9 a.m. Friday against Northeastern State, the first of six games in the meet.

"I like that this team likes to work very hard," said Wilson, entering her fifth season at the DU helm. "They take constructive criticism well and really try to turn things around. They've been holding everyone accountable to work hard, practice hard, and they really take the initiative to work on the things they need to work on to get better."

The top returnee for the Panthers is senior infielder Carson Forge, who with her .333 batting average, hit nearly 60 points higher than any DU teammate. She also led the squad with six homers and 31 runs batted in, slugging .596 along the way. 

Wilson believes she has found some batting order help for Forge, who carried a team that hit just .228 as a unit even with her strong numbers.

"I think Carson is taking pressure off her herself to have to do everything with the added depth to the lineup," Wilson says. "So I see her productivity going up at the right times this season, in clutch situations. I don't think she'll feel the responsibility and burden to have to get a hit every time she steps into the box."

Forge will bat in the heart of the order again, and the only other sure thing is that sophomore shortstop Hillenburg (.254, team-leading 25 runs, 7 SBs) will bat somewhere near the top, as Wilson will roll out a lineup from there based on who's hitting and, given this team's recent run of hard-luck injuries to key personnel, who's available.

Hillenburg and middle-infield newcomer Chantal Oelrich - one of three junior transfers from Santa Ana (Calif.) College - will likely form the double-play combo up the middle on most days for the Panthers.

While Forge will hold down the job at third base, Wilson expects first base to be manned by some combination of senior Karissa Price, freshman Miki Andrus and junior Kailey Howard. Junior newcomer Alyssa Sargent, a transfer from Monterrey Peninsula CC, is expected to hold down the regular catching job.

The DU outfield appears to be a fast, athletic bunch with junior newcomer Marissa Ross in left, senior Jordan Herman in center and a combo of junior transfers Rachael Michaelis and Heather Robertson in right. Freshman infielder Grace Hargedon, who hit .487 for Presentation (Calif.) HS as a senior but has been out since fall drills with an injury, will figure into the mix as the team's extra hitter with Michaelis and Robertson when she returns. 

Herman spent time at second base last year, and gives Wilson not only the versatility this team needs, but a big dose of its leadership.

"She does a great job of leading by example and being a vocal leader as well," Wilson says. "She hustles in the outfield, gives 100 percent on every play, and holds her teammates accountable for their performances on the field."

Wilson and first-year assistant coach Bailey Wittenauer feel much better about DU's pitching situation going into this spring as well.

Sophomore lefty Kjeldgaard in particular had to adapt to college hitters quickly last year, earning a team-high 28 starts and compiling an 11-19 record with a respectable 3.41 earned run average, striking out 137 in 193 innings and firing 18 complete games. Among her highlights was a seven-inning, three-hit shutout against Wisconsin-Parkside and a complete game two-hitter with seven strikeouts against Indianapolis. She struck out seven or more hitters seven times in her rookie campaign.

Kjeldgaard's help this season comes in the form of junior Wichita State transfer Hunter Stohlmeyer and junior Midland College transfer Shelby Weissenbach. Howard will work in relief for the Panthers this season.

Drury has been picked for a 12th-place finish in the 16-team Great Lakes Valley Conference race in the preseason poll of league coaches, as the conference returns to a "no divisions" format this spring, with every team playing each other. Wilson expects Missouri-St. Louis, Indianapolis, Bellarmine and Truman State to be the teams to beat ... but believes her Panthers could surprise some folks before all is said and done.

"I think we can finish in the top eight and make the (GLVC post-season) tournament if we can stay healthy and get some timely hitting," she says. "I think that's what our season will come down to."