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After missing out on the Great American Conference Tournament the last season, the Bulldog softball program has turned to SWOSU alum Barbara Burnett who plans to lead the team to new heights starting in 2015.
 
Burnett has been tasked with breathing life into the program, and the team has been hard at work since August prepping for the start of the season. While a team could have gotten complacent without facing an opponent over the long off-season months, it has not been the case for the Bulldogs. They come into the season looking to prove the doubters wrong.
 
"The hunger that these girls have, the excitement that they have, and the buy-in has been huge from these girls," said Burnett. "Their excitement keeps me excited and my excitement keeps them excited. It's days away from when we start playing, so it's coming pretty quick."
 
Despite instilling a new confidence into the team, it comes as no surprise that the Bulldogs come into the season picked tenth in the GAC preseason coaches poll. However, SWOSU is relishing the underdog position they've found themselves in.
 
"I've always kept an eye on the conference because I've always kept an eye on Southwestern," said Burnett. "I feel the conference as a whole has gotten stronger this year. It's not such a distinction between the top and bottom."
 
Among the returners for the Bulldogs are reigning GAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-GAC selection Adrienne Martinez and Second Team All-GAC honoree Ashley Dunigan. Martinez started in all 51 games last season, batting a team-high .399 while also slugging the ball .625 to lead the team in extra-base hits. On the defensive side of the ball, she boasted a .997 fielding percentage and had a team-high 357 putouts. Dunigan was one of just two players to start in every game last season and second in most offensive categories behind Martinez.
 
Martinez and Dunigan are two of six seniors returning this season. They are joined by Makensy Payne, Kendall Smith, Ashley Filer and Molly Vivo. Other returners are juniors Kailen Clemmer and Courtney Miller and sophomore Kaity Rash.
 
Vivo is the Bulldogs' only returning pitcher from last season. She was second on the team in complete games with four and fanned 40 batters last season. She will be joined by junior college transfers Laura Wilson (Independence CC) and Taylor Eaves (Independence CC), as well as freshman Rileigh Ricken (Churchill County (Nev.) HS).
 
Burnett, however, did not just inject new blood only into the pitching staff, but all over the field. Joining SWOSU from the juco ranks are infielders Samantha Perry (Connors State), Natalie Eaton (NOC-Tonkawa), Tori Hawk (Independence CC) and Ashley Jones (Eastern Oklahoma College), outfielders Sierra Potts (Independence CC), Miranda McDonald (Independence CC) and Katelyn White (Eastern Oklahoma College), catchers Cheyenne Trotter (Independence CC) and Emily Garcia (Johnson County CC). Also joining the team is four-year college transfer Laken Cagle (Avila) and freshmen Kaitlyn Kromer (Putnam City North HS) and Maci Brown (Canyon (Texas) HS).
 
"Being ranked tenth doesn't bother me, we're going to go from what we need to work on," Burnett said. "Hopefully we can knock that zero off the ten and finish number one in the final poll because that's the only one that matters."
 
SCHEDULE
 
The Bulldogs will open the 2015 season next Monday, Feb. 2 with a doubleheader against Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. Following that, SWOSU will feature in two regional tournaments, starting with the SWOSU Round Robin at the SWOSU Athletic Complex on Feb. 6-8. They follow that act up by competing in the Southeastern Regional Invitational in Durant, Okla., on Feb. 13-15.
 
SWOSU will go on the road for non-conference games against Texas Woman's and Eastern New Mexico to fill out a schedule that features 40 games against GAC opponents. For the third straight year, the GAC Tournament will take place in Bentonville, Ark., on April 30-May 2.