With the 2020 spring sports season canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, GoDrakeBulldogs.com recaps the season's of Bulldogs' spring teams. Presented by MidAmerican Energy.
The Drake University softball team was set to begin Missouri Valley Conference play when its 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. On March 12, the MVC announced its spring sports were suspended until March 30, but the next day the Valley canceled all intercollegiate competitions, including MVC championships, through the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Drake was slated to start league action at Indiana State on March 15 and host its home opener against Bradley on March 28.
Drake, which again played a challenging pre-conference tournament schedule, held an 8-16 overall record going into the series with the Sycamores. However, the Bulldogs dealt with injuries to multiple contributors, including several starters who missed significant time. In addition, longtime head coach
Rich Calvert had six freshmen in the lineup and in the rotation, who were in their first collegiate seasons. Drake, which was tabbed the league's favorite in the 2020 annual preseason coaches' poll, was nearly back to full strength health wise and its younger players were gaining valuable experience when the season came to an abrupt and heartbreaking end.
"The early part of our season featured a lot of growing pains," said Calvert. "Many new faces, injuries, too many walks by our pitchers and maybe putting too much pressure on ourselves. In saying that, the team and coaching staff were looking forward to the start of conference play. We knew how good of a team we could be. We have some very talented players and when healthy had a very good offensive lineup we could run out there every game."
The cancellation of the season ended the careers early of the Bulldogs' talented senior trio of
Abby Buie,
Sarah Maddox and
Mandi Roemmich.
Buie played in 186 career games over her four seasons. She was named to the 2019 MVC All-Defensive Team and committed just two errors her entire career while primarily playing left field for the Bulldogs. Buie was one of the team's top running threats with 40 career stolen bases and she scored 75 runs.
"Abby was a very steady player who developed from a role player her first two years to an excellent outfielder who improved her hitting every year," Calvert said. "She had as good of instincts as a baserunner as I've ever coached."
Maddox made 163 starts at first base for the Bulldogs, including not missing a game her first two seasons before injuries limited her 2019 campaign and the early part of 2020. However, she was a 2018 All-MVC First Team selection who slugged 19 career home runs and drove in 103 runs. Maddox's RBI total ranks sixth all-time at Drake while her 19 home runs are tied for seventh most in school history. Maddox earned 2019 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention honors.
"Sarah was just a joy to coach," Calvert said. "Unbelievable passion for the game. Unfortunately, injuries kept her from reaching her full potential."
Roemmich was the first Drake player to be named MVC Player of the Year when she won the top award in 2018. She was a three-year All-MVC choice, who made 186 starts at shortstop, and finished her career at or near the top of several all-time statistical categories. Roemmich leaves as the all-time leader in career doubles with 43 and was just six hits and six runs from tying the program's all-time mark in both categories, finishing with 215 hits and 132 runs scored. Her hits total ranks is third all-time and her runs total is second. She holds the single-season runs record mark with 54 in 2019 and is second all-time in career batting average with a .366 mark. An excellent student, she was named to the 2019 Academic All-America First Team and was twice selected to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team.
"What Mandi was able to accomplish both on the field and in the classroom is simply remarkable, Calvert said. "Her work ethic, passion to excel and her competitiveness made her one of the all-time greats to wear a Bulldog uniform."
The three seniors helped Drake win 124 games, become the first MVC program to sweep back-to-back MVC regular season and tournament titles in 2018 and 2019 and earn consecutive NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in school history.
"Abby, Sarah and Mandi have accomplished great things as individuals at Drake but they will always be remembered for being part of the greatest two years in Drake history as well as the greatest two-year run in MVC history."
Despite the loss of the decorated 2020 senior class, Calvert is slated to bring back a deep and experienced collection of players for the 2021 season. Pitcher
Nicole Timmons, who missed two weeks in 2020 due to injury, will resume her ace role. Timmons has 33 career wins and late in the 2020 season moved into Drake's top-10 in career strikeouts with 339. Timmons will lead a group of returning pitchers that will include, her younger sister, Allie and Mackenize Hupke, who each gained valuable experience in their first seasons filling in for Timmons' during her two-week absence. Leading the lineup in 2021 will be
Macy Johnson and
Libby Ryan. Johnson tallied a school-record .434 batting average during the shortened 2020 season and added 13 stolen bases. Ryan was another Bulldog that missed time due to injury, but she still batted .293 with a team-leading six doubles.
Laura Anderson will also be back after batting a career-high .259 this season. Those four three-year players will help lead the six freshmen and one sophomore from the 2020 team. The six freshmen are
Kristen Arias,
Aubree Beitzinger, Hupke,
Delaney Taylor, Timmons and
Emily Valtman while
Alexia Lara will be a junior. Valtman had a .333 batting average and was second on the team in home runs and RBI with two and 15, respectively. Calvert and his assistant coaches,
Tina DeAngelo and
Kasey Griffith, will also welcome five prep standouts who signed with the program in Nov., 2019.
