Liberty softball begins their quest for a third straight ASUN Championship as the season opens for the Lady Flames on Thursday, Feb. 9 against the defending national champions and preseason No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Flames will take on Oklahoma as part of the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, California. Liberty will play five games in four days in the event, including matchups against No. 13 Duke, No. 20 Washington, and No. 16 Stanford. This is just the start of a grueling schedule for the Lady Flames this year. During the regular season, Liberty has 12 games against teams currently ranked in the Softball America Top 25 poll.
“This year’s schedule is very challenging,” said Liberty head coach Dot Richardson. “A lot of our schedules are, that’s the way we like it. In order to be the best, you have to play the best, and you have to be able to beat them.”
Liberty had another dominant run through the ASUN in 2022, finishing the season 44-18 overall and 23-1 in conference play. The Flames did not lose a single ASUN game until the regular season finale. Liberty would then secure a second straight conference championship, advancing to the NCAA Regionals once again.
Under Coach Richardson, Liberty has been a juggernaut in the ASUN. The Lady Flames are 39-3 the last two years during the regular season against ASUN competition. The team expects to continue to have success in the conference prior to heading to Conference USA next year.
“This is without a doubt the strongest team from 1-22,” said Richardson. “We have a lot more depth this year, a lot more speed this year. We have some combination of good experience with some youth.
Emily Kirby has been the ace for the Liberty softball team the past few years. She has exhausted her eligibility and has moved into a coaching role with the team. Fortunately, the Flames have a very experienced Karlie Keeney who can step into the circle and carry the torch as the team’s ace.
Keeney made 22 starts last season, tossing 14 complete games. She finished the year with a 19-7 record with seven shutouts, two no-hitters, 100 strikeouts, a 2.45 ERA and a .233 opponents batting average in 171.1 innings pitched. Keeney was a second team all-conference selection following her performance last season.
“Karlie Keeney is throwing the ball harder than ever and it’s moving more than ever,” Richardson said of her ace. “It’s awesome to see that.”
Emily Estroff has transferred to Liberty from ASUN rival Florida Gulf Coast. She spent one season at Villanova and three years at FGCU and will now use her COVID year with the Flames. Last season for the Eagles, Estroff had 27 appearances while making eight starts. She pitched 70.2 innings and had a 4.95 ERA.
Paige Bachman played a lot of first base for Liberty last season, but so far this year she is focusing her time in the circle. The 6’2″ sophomore played in 24 games for the Lady Flames last year, starting 20 games at first base, including 18 of the final 19 games as she was named second-team all-conference and to the ASUN’s All-Freshman Team. Bachman made just three appearances in the circle during her freshman campaign, allowing three hits and not surrendering an earned run in 1.2 innings.
Redshirt-freshman Hailey Deter will also get an opportunity in the circle for Liberty this season. Prior to redshirting in her first season on campus last year, Deter attended Lord Botetourt High School where she helped the team to two district titles.
“We’ve just got to see who is going to step up and see what the best combination is going to be,” Richardson said of her pitching staff. “How can we mobilize them in a way that is going to be keeping hitters off balance and giving us a lot of success?”
A lot of familiar faces return for the Lady Flames in the field, led by the ASUN’s Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year in catcher Caroline Hudson. She earned both of those distinctions in the postseason following the 2022 campaign after starting all 62 games, 61 of them at catcher. In addition to her stellar defensive work behind the plate, Hudson also batted .312 with 12 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, 53 RBI, 46 runs, a .363 on base percentage and .649 slugging percentage.
Other returners will plenty of experience from last season include Rachel Craine (2B), Raigan Barrett (SS), KC Machado (3B), Mary Claire Wilson (CF), and Rachel Roupe (RF). Add in a few transfers, and Liberty has plenty of weapons at their disposal.
Infielder Savannah Woodard comes to Liberty after spending the prior three seasons at Alabama. She started 81 games during her time at Alabama including four games in the College World Series in 2021 at second base.
Michigan transfer Sierra Kersten should also provide some depth and competition for the Lady Flames on the infield. She played in 83 games over two seasons with the Wolverines. She started 29 games in left field, 24 at second base and 12 at designated player. In 2022 at Michigan, Kersten batted. 260 with four doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI.
Outfielder KK Madrey transferred to Liberty after one season at LSU where she appeared in 26 games as a pinch runner during her freshman season. She scored 14 runs and stole seven bases during the year.
“We have athletes,” Richardson said of her team. “They can play a lot of different positions. I’m very excited about that.”
Coach Richardson and her staff have also been intentional about adding speed to the team for this season. The Lady Flames have what Richardson calls “real speed” with several players who will be able to help manufacture runs throughout the year.
Expectations are once again very high as Liberty looks to continue their success not just in the ASUN but also on the national level. The Lady Flames will have numerous opportunities in non-conference play to stake their case as a team that deserves national attention. It all gets started this weekend in California.
“This is one of the top schedules in the country and we’re excited about it,” said Coach Richardson. “I believe we’ve prepared them. Our kids are trained. They are training hard and they’re ready to go. Now it’s showtime.”
