EUGENE, Ore. -- Being better than they were yesterday is the message for the Beacons this year as the Bushnell University softball team enters the 2022 season under new leadership, beginning non-conference play on Tuesday.     

Bushnell is in good hands this season under the leadership of Jim Patrick and Megan Kleist, who are serving as the Interim Co-Head Coaches.

Patrick has been with the Beacons since 2017, serving the last five years as the top assistant. Before joining the Beacon staff, Patrick had spent the previous 25 years as the varsity head coach at Thurston High School in Springfield.

Kleist, former member of Team USA, joined the Beacons as an assistant in 2021. She comes to the Beacons from the University of Louisiana where she completed her collegiate career during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Prior to Louisiana she played three seasons at the University of Oregon where she was named the 2018 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. She also earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors and had a pair of NFCA All-American honors including a first-team nod in 2018.

The Beacons finished 13-33 overall and 9-18 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference last season, just one game out of a playoff spot.  

Despite the changes in the fall, Patrick and Kleist are excited about the improvements they have seen in the offseason and the pair bring in a unifying message to practice each day. 

"We've had a big focus on being that 1% better than we were yesterday," said Kleist. "If we are continuously getting that 1%, it adds up to a lot at the end of the season. That's something that's really attainable and something the girls have really latched onto."

PITCHERS
Bushnell returns two players to the circle, Sam Silver and Leslie Reynaga.

A senior who is in her second season with the Beacons, Silver comes into the year with more experience at pitcher than any other Beacon on the roster, appearing in 22 games in the circle with 12 starts. With the ability to play multiple positions, Silver saw time in 35 games, making 29 starts. She recorded three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Reynaga made 16 appearances as a sophomore last season with nine starts. She recorded 35 strikeouts in 37.0 innings off work.

Making their collegiate debuts with the Beacons are Breanna Hilton and Aliyah Kelly.

Hilton joins the Beacons after a successful high school campaign. She was named All-League during her sophomore and senior seasons at Newberg HS. Kelly posted a .411 batting average as a senior at Central Catholic HS in Oregon City. She was an All-Mt. Hood Conference selection as a senior and was selected to participate in the 6A Senior All-Star Game.

Also joining the Beacons is Tatum Guzman, a transfer out of Lower Columbia College where she played one season with the Red Devils. She recorded an impressive pitching line, posting a 7-0 record with a 3.77 ERA through 39.0 innings of work. Guzman will be a redshirt this season.

With two of four pitchers seeing their first collegiate action, the Beacons are being quick to acknowledge the mental side of the game.

"As a pitcher, there is the weight of the world on our shoulders," said Kleist. "Everything that happens from the pitcher's hand is what's controlling the game, so we've been working a lot on the mental side of things as well as making sure we are hitting those zones."

CATCHERS
Faith Wayman is expected to lead the Beacons at catcher this season. Wayman had a solid freshman campaign, making 32 starts and recording a .981 fielding percentage. She caught 10 runners stealing and earned the Most Valuable Newcomer team award.

Michelle Sierra is a first-year player out of West Covina HS who will add depth behind the plate.

OUTFIELDERS
The Beacons return five outfielders, all who saw playing time in more than half of last season's games. 

Kleist commented on the improvements this group has made during the offseason. "The range of our outfielders has definitely increased," said Kleist. "We are getting to balls that we weren't getting to this fall, which is going to benefit our pitchers, our infield, our everything moving forward."

Anabel Mendez returns for her third season with the Beacons, using her fifth year of eligibility. Mendez earned All-CCC honorable mention recognition last season, putting her name in multiple categories of the Bushnell softball record book. She recorded a .389 batting average, fourth-best in single-season school history and posted a .489 on-base and a .750 slugging percentage, both second-best in single-season school history. Mendez was the goalkeeper for the Bushnell women's soccer team in the fall.

Krystal Akagi also has two years under her belt with the Beacons. Last season, Akagi played in 24 games with 16 starts.

Alyssa Ferreira and Madison Steelman are in their second seasons with the Beacons. Ferreira played in 33 games with 27 starts, seeing extensive playing time in center field as a freshman. She posted a 1.000 fielding percentage. Steelman saw time in 34 games as a freshman and made 24 starts. She recorded nine stolen bases which ranked second on the team.

Sophomore Lilly Bauer will redshirt this season. Bauer played in 29 games as a freshman for the Beacons, making 15 starts.

INFIELDERS
The Beacons return a few pieces to the infield with some flexibility in positions.  

Jordan Kuykendall, one of four seniors on the roster, has the most experience of any returner for the Beacons, starting in all but five games that she has played in over her Bushnell career. Kuykendall is primarily a third baseman and can be relied on for a strong bat. She played in 42 games last season and hit .280 with 19 RBIs, second on the team.

Suzi Krstic, a sophomore shortstop, played in 36 games last season, making 27 starts. Braydi Johnson, a senior, returns to the middle infield after making 25 starts in 30 games played last season.

Also returning is Tierra Dumlao, a sophomore utility player. She played in 16 games as a freshman, making 12 starts. Alexus Hernandez is in her third season with the Beacons and will be redshirting this year.

The Beacons welcome Elizabeth Betsch and Bryana Yoshida to the infield, who were teammates at Otero Junior College over the last two seasons. Betsch recorded a .320 batting average in her 14 games with the Rattlers. Yoshida posted a .360 batting average, also in 14 games.

Mandy Fetters, a transfer out of Eastern Oregon University, is another newcomer for the Beacons with collegiate experience. She will sit out this season due to inter-conference transfer rules. Fetters played two seasons with the Mountaineers.

OUTLOOK
The Cascade Collegiate Conference has proven to be one of the toughest in the nation with three teams ranked among the Top-5 in the NAIA Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll. Oregon Tech, the runner up last season, begins the year at No. 1, receiving 17 of 18 first-place votes. The College of Idaho is ranked No. 2, while Southern Oregon, the 2021 National Champion, is No. 5.

The CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll follows the same order with the Owls as the favorite. Bushnell was ranked ninth in the conference poll.

Kleist shared her thoughts on the conference as well as the optimism surrounding the offseason improvements her and Patrick have already seen. "If we are constantly committed to the game plan of getting that 1% better, I'm not worried," said Kleist. "Looking at how far we've come since this fall, it's very eye-opening. I'm super excited to see what this team does this year."

The Beacons get the season underway with a doubleheader at NCAA Division II Western Oregon University on Feb. 1. They continue non-conference play at William Jessup University (Feb. 8) and Simpson University (Feb. 9) before taking on Lewis & Clark College (Feb. 19). The home opener for the Beacons is the following day against Willamette University (Feb. 20) to close out the non-conference schedule.

The CCC slate begins on Feb. 25 when Bushnell begins its series with the University of Providence (Mont.) on the road. The Beacons will host Eastern Oregon, Corban, Southern Oregon, Carroll, Warner Pacific and Northwest at Rich Schwab Field this season.