The Lady Cougars are coming off a 26-20 campaign last year in which the team advanced all the way to the championship game of the NAIA Region IX Tournament for the first time in school history only to fall 4-3 to top seed and host Walsh University in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, despite the loss, MVNU had made quite a mark by advancing through the loser’s bracket of the tournament to nearly take the title.

"We want to build on our success from last year,” said MVNU coach Jeana Howald, who enters her 20th season at her alma mater with a 426-326 career mark. "We competed in the NAIA Region IX Tournament and were just steps away from making our first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.”

The Lady Cougars return 14 players from last year’s squad which should make Howald’s job much easier. "Experience is a plus for us,” she said. "We have a solid group returning to our lineup. We have fantastic leadership from both our junior and senior classes. They lead by example. Our five seniors do it right. They embrace what we are all about and they make my job easier and fun.”

On the mound, senior right-hander Candace White returns to anchor the MVNU pitching staff that must replace Kristin Eyerman, who was the American Mideast Conference South Division Pitcher of the Year and the only senior for the Lady Cougars last year. White posted a 12-11 record last year with a team-best 2.02 ERA, 108 strikeouts, four shutouts, and 148.2 innings pitched. Sophomore lefty Stephanie Burlew posted an 0-1 record with a 3.50 ERA in two appearances before being sidelined with an injury, while freshman right-hander Meagan Brookes earned First Team All-Conference honors as a senior at Geneva High School.

Junior catcher Caitlin Murphy returns behind the plate after being named to the AMC South Division Second Team last year while batting .262 with 20 RBI and 20 runs scored. She also threw out 24 of the 46 runners who tried to steal on her. Senior Laura Morris and junior Staci Graham add depth at the position with Graham also adding depth on the infield and potentially being used as the designated player again after hitting .313 and earning National Christian College Athletic Association First Team All-American honors last year.

The Lady Cougars return four starters on the infield. Senior Kylie Rupert and junior Michelle Gastin both saw time at first base last year with Gastin batting .412 before missing most of the year with an injury and Rupert hitting .189 over 35 games.

Sophomore Kristin Kurelic returns at second base after hitting .370 with 22 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in her first college season that saw her earn NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American status as well as a spot on the AMC South Division All-Freshmen Team.

Junior Tasha Konkle returns to start at shortstop for the third straight year after being named to the AMC South Division First Team and the NAIA Region IX Team last season. Konkle batted .252 with three doubles, 13 RBI, and 25 runs scored, and she committed just seven errors in 186 fielding chances.

Senior Karly Clay rounds out the infield defense as she prepares to start for the fourth straight year at third base. Last season, she batted .215 with 15 RBI while starting all 46 games.

The Lady Cougars return three starters in the outfield who each played in all 46 games and several other players who are competing for playing time. Junior Leslie Banichar hit .357 with seven doubles, four triples, 31 runs scored, 31 RBI, and 19 stolen bases as she earned NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American status. Senior Whitney Clark hit .240 with 16 runs scored, and junior Lauretta Wallace batted .280 with 10 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 20 RBI, and 22 runs scored. Freshman MacKenzie Shaw and sophomore Liz Misich are both contending for starting spots, and freshman Jennifer Gulley also adds depth in the outfield. Misich is back for her second season at MVNU, while Shaw and Gulley had successful high school careers at Lexington High School and Mount Vernon High School respectively.

The Lady Cougars are slated to get their season under way on Thursday, March 12, with a home non-conference doubleheader against Taylor (Ind.) University. Then, the team will head to Clermont, Florida, for their annual spring trip with 10 games that includes a doubleheader against Columbia (Mo.) College, which is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA preseason poll.

Following the spring trip, MVNU will turn its focus on competing for the American Mideast Conference title with 10 conference doubleheaders. Walsh and Ohio Dominican University are the two preseason front-runners as both teams received votes in the NAIA preseason poll. The top five teams in the AMC regular-season standings will advance to the AMC Tournament with the tournament champion earning an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament in Decatur, Alabama.

"It is not up to one or two people to make us successful this year,” said Howald. "It will take the entire team working together and being ready when it is time to compete. It is also always a top priority to represent MVNU with class and integrity on and off the field.”