Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HENDERSON, Tenn. - With eight starters returning from last season's 34-win squad, the Freed-Hardeman University Lions enter the 2009 season with high expectations and hopes of the program's first-ever trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

Head coach Todd Humphry begins his ninth season at the helm of the program that he helped resurrect in 2000. The last two seasons have seen Lady Lion softball take a huge stride forward with back-to-back 30-win seasons and a combined record of 70-32.

The core group of five seniors (Tarrah Tucker, Brittany Bradford, Carmen Gulley, Camille Cunningham, Whitney Pratt) that has helped lead the program to the next level will make one more run together in 2009 with the goal of taking Freed-Hardeman to its first-ever appearance in the NAIA World Series.

PITCHERS/CATCHERS
If the mark of a good softball team begins in the circle, then FHU is off to a great start with the return of Tucker for her senior season. Last season, Tucker went 23-6 with a 1.19 ERA while recording a school-record 287 strikeouts in 205 innings pitched. The Lyles, Tenn., native currently holds nine school pitching records and is on pace to add her name to three more records before her career closes at the end of the season.

Junior Britney Caldwell will again fill the role of the team's No. 2 pitcher after going 9-10 last year with a 3.51 ERA.

All-conference and all-region performer Brittany Bradford returns for her final season behind the plate. Bradford, who will catch Tucker, hit a team-best .420 last season with 36 RBI. Traci Gibbons, a junior, will catch Caldwell.

INFIELDERS
When not in the circle, Caldwell will be at either corner position and will hit in the middle of the Lady Lion batting order. Last year she hit .383 with six homeruns and 39 RBI. Freshman Brittany Yates, a transfer from NCAA Division I Tennessee-Martin, is likely to see plenty of time at third and will add more power to the heart of the Lady Lion lineup. Gibbons adds to FHU's depth at third after starting 33 games there last season.

The middle infield returns in tact with junior Betsy Pickler, who hit .298 last year, at second base and sophomore Jill Brock at shortstop. Slick-fielding Augusta McClary could also find herself playing at both positions up the middle, especially with Pickler expected to miss time early in the season due to an injury.

OUTFIELDERS
Speed is the biggest strength of the Lady Lion outfield with the returns of Carmen Gulley, Brittany Steverson, and Camille Cunningham.

Gulley, the school's all-time leader in stolen bases, swiped 22 in 23 attempts last year from her leadoff spot. She came on strong toward the season's end, hitting .372 in the last 14 games with four triples. She will likely hit leadoff again for FHU.

Steverson, a slap-hitting lefty, hit .337 last year and was named to the TranSouth All-Freshman team. She posted 18 multi-hit games, second-best on the team behind Bradford's 19. Cunningham, another slap-hitting lefty, performed well after earning 22 starts in 2008 in her first year with the team, finishing the season by hitting .321 over her last 11 games.

Audra Yopp and Natalie Carson are also options for playing time in the Lady Lion outfield.