Drake Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #27
Conference Rank: #1 Missouri Valley
Drake won 43 games, the Missouri Valley Conference title and earned a trip to the Minneapolis Regional. The Bulldogs went 1-2 up in Minnesota as they beat North Dakota State and dropped a pair of hard-fought games against Georgia. Drake will be looking for their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament as they have won 88 games over the course of the last two seasons. The culture and expectation of winning is in place for head coach Rich Calvert and his staff. It will be up to the players to continue to build upon the last two seasons this spring.
2019: 43-16, 24-2
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Rich Calvert
Key Departed Players:
Kennedy Frank, INF, .333 BA, 2 HR, 42 RBI, 15 SB
Taryn Pena, INF, .252 BA, 8 HR, 43 RBI
Nicole Newman, P, 1.07 ERA, 29-7 W-L, 221.2 IP, 45 BB, 423 SO, 261 BA, 5 HR, 44 RBI
Key Returning Players:
Mandi Roemmich, INF, .380 BA, 0 HR, 32 RBI
Libby Ryan, UTIL, .338 BA, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 26 SB
Macy Johnson, OF, .331 BA, 0 HR, 24 RBI, 23 SB
Sarah Maddox, INF, .322 BA, 3 HR, 21 RBI
Abby Buie, OF, .268 BA, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 17 SB
Nicole Timmons, P, 2.95 ERA, 14-9 W-L, 152.0 IP, 86 BB, 153 SO
Projection:
The biggest challenge facing the Bulldogs will be to attempt to replace Nicole Newman in the circle. Newman was utterly dominant in 2019 as she won 29 games, walked only 45 batters, struck out 423 in 221.2 innings and posted a 1.07 earned run average. Nicole Timmons will be expected to be the ace for Drake heading into the 2020 season. Timmons had a strong sophomore campaign as she went 14-9 with a 2.95 earned run average and struck out 153 batters in 152 innings. Expect Timmons to continue to attack the zone with her increased workload to try and offset a little bit of Newman’s production. Mandi Roemmich will lead a balanced lineup that will constantly put pressure on opposing staffs with their ability to make contact and their speed. Roemmich hit .380 last season while driving in 32 runs. Libby Ryan and Macy Johnson will provide a nice mix of ability to hit for high average and speed as they combined for 49 stolen bases in 2019. Sarah Maddox is another power hitting threat that should be able to hit 6-8 homeruns or more if she plays a full season in 2020. The non-conference schedule has challenges with games against DePaul, Oregon, Stanford, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State but overall the schedule is manageable enough to keep the Bulldogs around the 40-win mark in 2020.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
