MOORE, Okla. – After watching Winter Storm Rocky cancel the first five games of its season at last week's Friends Invitational, the Southwestern College softball team finally gets a chance to take the field Tuesday when it travels to Moore, Okla., to challenge the Saints of Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Hillsdale Softball Field.

Small But Mighty…
This year's Southwestern softball team is comprised of just 12 players. Of those 12, six played on last year's squad, which posted a 26-19 overall record. Offensively, junior Devan Howard hopes to build upon last season's team-best .342 batting average, and will be asked to lead the team this season. Howard pelted 50 hits in 146 at bats last season, and scored a team-best 29 runs.

At the Plate…
Just three members of this year's line-up were active starters during the 2012 campaign. Southwestern's six returners from that team hit a combined .293 on the season. The Builders return just 36.3 percent of their offensive production from last season. Those returners combined for 125 hits and 68 runs in 427 at-bats last season.

In the Circle…
Southwestern also lost its two work-horses in the pitcher's circle from last season. Georganna Hopper and Sara Blackburn combined to pitch just 5.2 innings last season, and both did so in relief. Sophomore Rachel Baker, who transferred to SC from Barton Community College, and freshman Alexis Del Toro will look to fill the void left in the circle. Baker pitched 153 innings for the Barton CC Cougars last season, and threw 98 strikeouts while posting a team-best 4.03 ERA. Del Toro, meanwhile, was a high school standout at Randall High School in Amarillo, Texas.

The Newcomers…
Kylea Wilson joins Baker as the only other junior college transfer to join the team this season. Wilson posted a .309 batting average with 38 hits in 123 at-bats while helping the Seminole State Trojans to a 44-13 record last season, and was one of six Trojans to play in 50-or-more games this season. Freshman pitcher Alexis Del Toro will be joined by fellow freshmen Megan Walentynowicz and Kristina Walker. Walentynowicz was a first-team all-conference selection at Cedar Park High School in Cedar Park, Texas, and will play both outfield and catcher for the Builders, while Kristina Walker, who helped lead the Salina South Cougars to a Kansas 5A Runner-Up finish, will look to bolster the Builder outfield as well.

The Coaches…
Amber Good returns for her eighth season with the Builders. She is joined by assistant coach Jenn Nicholson and Jen Buehler, both of which assisted Good last season.

Scouting Hillsdale…
The Saints are 1-3 this season. Hillsdale was swept by Southwestern Assemblies of God (7-3, 12-2) in its opening games of the season, then split with the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma three days later. Hillsdale notched a 10-4 win over USAO in the opener, but the Drovers took the second game, 9-4. Hillsdale's last eight games have been rained out.

Next up for the Builders…
Southwestern is scheduled to compete in the McPherson College Spring Tournament this weekend in McPherson, Kan. The Builders will open the tournament at 8 a.m. against the Central Christian College Tigers. Southwestern will also face Nebraska Wesleyan, Rogers State, Morningside and Doane in that tournament.

--#buildernation--