CLERMONT, Fla. - The Cornerstone Softball team will begin their season with 14 games under the Florida sun, beginning with a pair of doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday at the NTC Spring Games. Two of the ten different opponents that Cornerstone will face are ranked in the top ten in the 2017 Preseason NAIA Coaches' preseason poll, with a pair of games against No. 7 Marian (Ind.), and pair of games against No. 2 Saint Xavier (Ill.).
Following the trip to Florida, the Golden Eagles will have three non-conference doubleheaders on the road before the home opener against Davenport on March 29.
 
Who's in Charge:
With a 342-325 overall record, head coach Jim Farrell will return to the helm for the 16^th season. The assistant coaches are Jessica Scheffers, Kim Zainea, and Jenn Miller.
 
2017 Outlook:
Cornerstone has a well-balanced roster: five freshmen, seven sophomores, five juniors, and four seniors. Sophomore Mackenzie Vallad started all 40 games last season, led the team with 73 assists at shortstop, while also leading the team in hits (45) and doubles (11). Vallad maintained a solid .336 batting average in her freshman season. Junior Brooke Leonard will once again head the Golden Eagle pitching staff. Leonard led the team in wins the past two seasons and put up a 3.07 ERA last season. Leonard held the opposition to a .290 batting average.
 
New to CU:
Freshman McKena Razenberg was an all-state outfielder in her junior and senior seasons at Kalamazoo Christian, where her team reached the state championship game three times in her four years. Cierra Langejans and Shelby Nelson, both four-year varsity players at Zeeland West and Kent City, respectively, earned all-conference honors in high school. Lexi Lieske played a big role in the Caledonia HS softball program, which appeared in the state championship game in 2015 and remained among the best teams in Michigan in 2016.
 
Opponents and Schedule:
Friday, March 3 – University of Mary and Spring Arbor
Saturday, March 4 – Grace College and Spring Arbor
Monday, March 6 – Mount Vernon Nazarene and Trinity Christian
Tuesday, March 7 – Marian and Cardinal Stritch
Thursday, March 9 – Bellevue and Saint Xavier
Friday, March 10 – Marian and Trinity Christian
Saturday, March 11 – Saint Xavier and St. Ambrose
 
History of Florida Games:
This is the fifth consecutive year that the Golden Eagles will fly south for spring break. Over the past four seasons, they've recorded a 32-15 record in the Sunshine State.
 
Scouting Opponents:
Scouting University of Mary
The Marauders will have already played 13 games by the time they face Cornerstone. They went 2-9 on an 11-game trip out west, and will play two more games in Florida before facing off against the Golden Eagles. In the first 11 games, Senior Taylor Mendez batted .424 with four doubles, four home runs, and nine RBI. In the circle, sophomore Brieann Backes leads the team with a 5.38 ERA in 26 innings pitched so far this season.
 
Scouting Spring Arbor
The Cougars defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 and 8-0 during last year's spring break trip and went on to finish with a 32-26 overall record. Senior infielder Savannah Weaver tallied 52 hits last season and finished with a batting average of .311.  Junior pitcher Kelsey Brown went 16-11 last year with a 4.05 ERA.
 
Scouting Grace College
Grace has played four games already this season, two of which against ranked teams. They defeated No. 14 Martin Methodist 12-11 and fell to No. 15 Davenport 7-4. Senior Shortstop Clarissa Knight batted a whopping .459 last season. Junior Chandler Elliott is a dominant player in the circle as well as at the plate: She had a .385 batting average and led the team in RBI, while also pitching a team-high 139.2 innings last season.
 
Scouting Mount Vernon Nazarene University
The Cougars split last year's doubleheader with the Golden Eagles and went on to finish with a 22-29 overall record. Head Coach Jeana Howald has a 534-477 record in her 26 years at the helm.
 
Scouting Trinity Christian College
The Trolls finished the 2016 season with a 10-28 record. Head Coach Jackie Manrique is in her first year at Trinity.
 
Scouting Marian University (Ind.)
The No. 7 Marian University Knights shut out the Golden Eagles 5-0 last year. Head Coach Scott Fleming has an impressive 376-172 record over the course of his 12 years in the program, including four Crossroads League titles.
 
Scouting Cardinal Stritch University
Head Coach Jenny Miller led the team to a 30-13 record in her debut season last year. The Wolves have jumped out to a 3-0 record after winning three games in mid-February, scoring 10+ runs in all three games.
 
Scouting Bellevue University
The Bruins are 7-4 so far this season, including victories over No. 20 Central Methodist and No. 21 Dickinson State. In the past seven seasons, Bellevue has won four regular season conference titles and five conference tournament titles in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference.
 
Scouting Saint Xavier University (Ill.)
The Cougars, who went 46-10-1 last season, enter 2017 ranked No. 2 in the preseason NAIA Coaches' preseason poll. Senior catcher Brittany Plimmer led the team last year in batting average, hits, RBI, and slugging percentage.
 
Scouting Saint Ambrose University
The Fighting Bees finished 35-18 in 2016, and return several key players this season. Senior Anna Boffeli and sophomore Morgan Krieger were the leading hitters last year, and junior Ashley Yattoni put up an impressive 20-6 record with a 1.96 ERA in the circle. Saint Ambrose has a 2-2 record this season, with both losses coming to CU's conference rivals from Aquinas.