With the weather warming up, the leaves turning green again, and the sun beginning to brighten the diamond of Boseman softball field, the UNC Wilmington softball team is ready to get back to work.

The Seahawks are coming back more confident than ever thanks to a fresh new team coached by first-year head coach Kristy Norton. Coach Norton played softball for James Madison University and helped turn it into one of the top softball programs in the Colonial Athletic Association. Excited and ready to see what this season brings, she is ready for any challenge headed her way as the new head coach.

Norton is focusing on moving forward and making sure each of her players has a good attitude and good energy going into each game. The biggest difference from last year is the team goal, which is to always focus on how they can continue to build the program for the better. This year, the softball team has an advantage in having six new freshmen on the team that haven’t yet had the opportunity to show their opponents what they are capable of.  

The Seahawks were well rested going into their first tournament, the UNCW Beach Blast, and ended up with three solid wins over Detroit and Iona, along with two losses to Nebraska-Omaha and Detroit.

Two returning pitchers to keep a close eye on this season are sophomores Jordyn Schmidt and Casey Rowland. Rowland recorded 139 strikeouts last season, the third highest single-season total in school history. She was also named CAA Rookie of the Year last season and named CAA Pitcher of the Week after her performance at Beach Blast two weeks ago.

“This is a very selfless and dynamic team,” Coach Norton said. “We are prepared for every opportunity given to us this season and everyone should get ready to watch a solid team hit the field every game day.”