Head Coach Mike Christner, in his ninth year, is seeking to return his program back to nationals after a two-year hiatus. 2009 was not a down year by any stretch of the imagination, however, as Penn finished 40-18 overall and took home the Midwest Collegiate Conference regular-season championship with a 28-4 mark. Unfortunately, the Lady Statesmen struggled at the MCC Postseason Tournament and finished shy of qualifying for ‘The Dance'.

"We had a very successful campaign a year ago, but we did not end up where we wanted," Christner said. "We had good pitching and defense, but not much hitting. I believe we have improved a lot in every area."

The Lady Statesmen expect to have as many as six underclassmen in the lineup this spring as the future looks very bright at Penn.

Pitcher

Every strong program has strong pitching and Christner's 2010 squad looks to be deep in the circle.

Hannah Lugar (So., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS), a 2009 honorable-mention all-MCC selection, returns to pace the staff after owning a 10-6 record and a 1.60 Earned Run Average a year ago.

"Hannah earned a lot of experience last year working with our two senior pitcher so she should be ready for a bigger role this spring," Christner said.

Freshman Monica Villarreal (Oceanside, Calif., Carlsbad HS) is one of many freshmen that will be thrown into the fire but are expected to come out of it much stronger and prepared for long-lasting success.

"Monica is good, young freshman who just needs to play to get better and she will get better," Christner said.

Lauryn Northup (Jr., Sigourney, Sigourney HS) figures to add another qualified arm to the staff. Christner is hoping she can return back to her 2008 form in which she finished 9-3 and tossed 95 innings. Northup did not pitch at the varsity level a year ago.

"Lauryn had an off year in 2009, but has worked hard to get back to form and should compete well for us," Christner said.

2009 redshirt Amber Shortt (Fr., West Liberty, West Branch HS) and returner Stephanie Heinrich (Jr., Beecher, Ill., Prairie State CC) will join newcomers Jamie VanRheenen (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) and Danielle Bennett (Fr., Plattsburg, Mo., Clinton County R-III HS) to add depth in the pitching circle.

Catcher
The Lady Statesmen have the fortunate problem of having too many options behind the plate as five individuals will compete for the starting slot at catcher.

Honorable-mention all-MCC third baseman Kara Atkins (So., Burlington, Burlington HS) and 2009 starting catcher Cassie Holt (So., Twin Lakes, Wis., Muskego HS) return to lead the way, but they will have company.

Atkins hit .312 with four home runs and 34 RBIs, while Holt was .241 at the plate.

"Kara had a really good freshman year and we expect a lot of the same from her, including more leadership as well," Christner said. "Cassie got a lot of experience last year. If she improves on her hitting and defensive skills, she will see some time behind the plate again.

Added to the pot will be 2006 starter Krystina Lorah (Jr., Moreno Valley, Calif., Moreno Valley HS) and newcomers Ashley Kingery (Fr., Knoxville, Knoxville HS) and Cassie Ward (Jr., San Dimas, Calif., Citrus CC).

"Krystina is one of the smartest on-the-field players we have and it is great to have her back on the diamond," Christner said.

First Base

Two-time All-American Tyanna Helton (Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif., Palomar CC) is back for one final hurrah as she hopes to lead her squad to nationals after being a member of the 2007 team that made the trip.

Helton led Penn in most offensive categories, including batting average (.412), home runs (12), RBIs (61), slugging percentage (.714), and on-base percentage (.476).

"Tyanna is our leader," Christner said. "She has led us in about every offensive category the last two years and we will look upon her to do the same this year."

Returners Christine Gamble (So., Pahrump, Nev., Pahrump Valley HS) and Whitney Reber (So., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) will back up Helton and seek to learn a little more from her before possibly taking over the reins at first base next spring.

Gamble played in 19 games in 2009 with seven starts.

Second Base

Leah Mork (Sr., DeWitt, North Iowa Area CC) earned honorable-mention all-MCC laurels last year and as one of just three seniors on the squad, her leadership will be invaluable.

Mork hit .292 with a team-best five triples.

"Leah is probably the fastest player we have from home to home and she is a very intelligent baserunner," Christner said. "She had a good junior season and I expect bigger things from her this year."

Presley Joss (Fr., Osceola, Clarke HS) is expected to back up Mork at second base.

Shortstop

Ashley Stream (So., Chariton, Chariton HS) had one of the best freshman campaigns in school history and her return to the diamond spells big things for the Lady Statesmen in 2010.

Stream owned a .404 batting clip with team bests in hits (76), doubles (51), runs (51), and steals (5).

"Ashley is our leader on the infield," Christner said. "She had a great freshman season, but can still get better. She is very talented and needs to keep working hard to get even better."

Newcomer Cassie Lohman (Fr., Burbank, Calif., Providence HS) adds depth at the shortstop position.

Third Base

The hot corner is likely to be claimed by a new name as Bennett and Molly Miller (Fr., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) face off for the starting slot.

As aforementioned, Penn is very deep at catcher, so if the newcomers do not fit the bill, Christner may move Atkins back to that position.

Left Field

Returner Andrea Rensberger (Jr., Sioux City, Sioux City North HS) will go to proverbial war with newcomers Brittany Labbe (Fr., Northridge, Calif., Chaminade HS) and LeeAnne Russell (Fr., Bedford, Bedford HS) for the start in left field. Rensberger had a bit of an off year in 2009 and Christner hopes she can get some semblance of her 2008 self back to add experience in left field.

Rensberger played in 36 games, starting 23 of those contests, hitting .128 on the campaign.

"Andrea had an off year last year but has come back working hard this fall," Christner said. "I believe her work ethic will help her become a valuable member of this year's team."

Center Field

The Lady Statesmen are again fortunate as they have a plethora of personnel in the other two outfield positions. Returners Khyia Lewis (So., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) and Hailey Dreyer (Sr., Twin Lakes, Wis., Dubuque) head the list in center field, while Shortt and newcomer Amanda Christenson (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) add depth.

"Khyia can be our best outfielder if she will commit to it," Christner said. "She has a lot of talent."

Dreyer hit .188 as Penn's starting right fielder a season ago.

"As one of our three seniors, we will expect leadership out of Hailey," Christner said. "She struggled at the plate last year, but has worked hard to improve on last year's numbers."

Right Field

Depending on the center field decision, it is expected that either Lewis or Dreyer will win the slot in right field by default.

Returner Amie Dorn (So., Mount Pleasant, Mount Pleasant HS) and newcomer Angela Pizzo (Jr., Sherman Oaks, Calif., Glendale CC) may also see time at the spot.

Designated Hitter

Many names have been tossed about in regards to the designated hitter slot, but nothing will be determined until the playing positions are settled. The long list is headlined by the likes of Atkins and Lorah, while Gamble, Reber, and Ward are also vying for the start.

"All five of these individuals are capable of filling the role of our designated hitter," Christner said. "It will just come down to whoever shows up with the best stuff in practice."

Schedule

A decision by the league's coaches to take the head-to-head series from four games down to three has opened up more tournament play opportunities for Penn, which in Christner's opinion, should only strengthen the team in the end.

The curtain on the 2010 campaign in pulled on February 26-27 at the MidAmerica Nazarene Tournament in Kansas. The Lady Statesmen will trek down to Arizona for their spring break week.

Penn is slated to also compete in tournaments at Evangel (Mo.), McKendree (Ill.), and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in addition to non-conference double dips against powerhouses Coe of NCAA Division III and Midland Lutheran (Neb.) and Bellevue (Neb.) out of the NAIA.

"I like our schedule much more this year," Christner said. "I always want to see who is out there and see how we match up. We get to do that this year because of the new MCC scheduling."

Conference

Penn's defense of the regular-season crown will be difficult as perennial powers Grand View and Waldorf and last year's Cinderella Mount Mercy fight at the top. Christner also thinks St. Ambrose may be in the mix at year's end.

"The usual teams will be at the top again this year," Christner said. "It will be another challenging year and we will have to show up every time out, especially now that there are eight less games to determine the league title. Most importantly though, we need to finish strong and play well in the tournament."

"This is a very young team with the potential for starting a lot of underclassmen," Christner said. "We have a lot of talent, but with our youth, we could start out sluggish."

"This is not a rebuilding year by any stretch as I figure by mid-year we should be catching gears and playing really well. We could struggle early as some of the girls learn how to play at this level, but I expect big things out of this team for this year and for the future."