SB Position Preview: Pitchers and Catchers

As softball season approaches, North Texas will be looking to continue on what was a promising start to a prematurely ended 2020 campaign. The Mean Green were off to one of the best starts in program history when the COVID-19 pandemic brought an end to the season in March. After losing 10 players from the 2020 squad, the 2021 team will feature one more newcomer than returners and this is the first of a three-part series detailing who is back and who is new in each position group.

Pitchers – 3 Returners, 2 Newcomers

North Texas' pitching staff will return 162.2 innings from the 2020 campaign and all 191 strikeouts. The Mean Green arms in the circle held opponents to a program-best .212 batting average and posted a 2.31 ERA, the second-best in program history. This year's rotation features returners in the likes of senior ace Hope Trautwein, junior Bailey Tindell and sophomore Ariel Thompson as well as a pair of newcomers; Graduate Transfer GiGi Wall and freshman Janie Worthington.

Trautwein comes into her senior campaign well within striking distance of multiple program records by a pitcher. The Pflugerville native already holds the program records for career ERA (2.21), saves (8) and lowest opponent batting average (.204) while T-2^nd in career wins (48) and fifth in career starts (68) and innings pitched (469.0). Trautwein also sits second on the career strikeouts list with 458, trailing just Ashley Kirk who notched 712 strikeouts in her North Texas career.

Tindell enters 2021 ready to build off of steady improvements she made as a sophomore after joining the team as a walk-on before the 2019 season. The Salado native dropped her ERA from 3.07 as a freshman to just 2.70 in 13 appearances last season, while also making the Opening Day start. Tindell notched 25 strikeouts in 46.2 innings after totaling 27 in 91.1 innings as a freshman, opponents also only hit .242 off of her after hitting .307 during her first season.

Thompson returns after making a dozen appearances as a freshman including six starts. The Claremore, Oklahoma native gave the Mean Green 35.0 innings and 45 strikeouts. In her six starts she notched a 2-1 record and also held opponents to just a .248 average against her. In her first career start against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on February 8, Thompson notched eight strikeouts in a run-rule victory. She would then up her career-best to 11 in a complete game victory over Texas Southern on February 22.

The newcomers both have different paths that have led to Denton. Wall joins the Mean Green as a sixth-year Graduate Transfer after medically redshirting during her senior year at Oklahoma City University (NAIA) in 2019 and then spent the shortened 2020 season at Texas Tech before coming to Denton, she is a three-time NAIA All-American from her time at OKC. Freshman Janie Worthington gives the Mean Green a southpaw in the circle for the first time during DeLong's tenure. The four-time All-State and Native American All-State honoree from Carnegie high school (OK) will join Wall in adding some much needed depth to the North Texas rotation.

Catchers – 2 Returners, 2 Newcomers

A quartet of backstops will see time for the Mean Green in 2021, two returners as well as two newcomers.

Senior Tarah Hilton, one of three Utility players who catch for North Texas returns after seeing action behind the dish split with the outfield and as the Designated Player in 2020. Hilton's biggest start behind the plate was in North Texas' 4-3 victory of No. 5 Oklahoma in Norman on February 29. Hilton ranked third on the team with a .318 average in 2020, the best of all returners while hitting four home runs and driving in 13 runners.

Junior Amarys Miller-Godsey could see time behind the dish after not finding any playing time in the position in 2020. The Utility player will also split time in both the infield and outfield for the Mean Green. The Los Angeles, California native notched a hit in four at-bats a year ago.

A pair of freshmen will also find time behind the plate in 2021. Ashlyn Walker will be the only player who catches without the title of Utility player while Kalei Christensen will also be like Hilton as she will split time behind the plate and in the outfield.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Kalei Christensen

Tarah Hilton

Amarys Miller-Godsey

Ariel Thompson

Bailey Tindell

Hope Trautwein

Ashlyn Walker

GiGi Wall

Janie Worthington

Upcoming Events

University of North Texas Athletics