With 14 of the 23-player roster for Western Michigan University's softball team being first-timers with the Broncos this season, the buzzwords for WMU could be new….more new….even more new.

The team decided it needed another word to define itself.

''The team came up with the word 'Redefined,' '' first-year head coach Marlee Wilson, who was an assistant coach at WMU last season, said. ''We had stickers made so they could put them on their gear as a reminder of our goals for this season.''

OK, the softball Broncos did decide to work 'new' into their social media hashtag, which is a very, very appropriate #BrandNewBroncs. WMU opens the season on Feb. 9 at the Texas-El Paso Memorial Tournament. Its first home game is March 29 against Akron.

The nine returning players from last season's team, which went 17-29 overall and 11-15 in the Mid-American Conference, are seniors Rissa Bajusz, Addison Hudson, Cassidy Brendtke, Taylor Garey and Haley Boxwell; juniors Payton Kelly and Taylor Wolfe; and sophomores Riley Chumbley and Haleigh Smith.

''The returning players have been a solid core for us,'' Wilson said. ''They made sure to welcome all the new players, but also let them know our program standards and expectations, which has been very good leadership to see.``

With so many new players on board for a new head coach, Wilson wants communication to be one of the biggest things for the team. In that point, she makes sure at the end of each practice, and sometimes at the end of a drill, there is input from players on what they saw, or how they felt certain things went in practice, being good or not-so-good.

''I want player feedback and perspective,'' Wilson said. ''It's important to know how they are interpreting things."

''We focus on communication, respect and awareness. Because of that, we have strong team culture and chemistry.''

It also helps to have good hitters, pitchers and defense, things Wilson feels she has. Hudson was 12th in the MAC in hitting with a .344 average and Kelly was at .306. Defensively, Hudson and Smith were tied for eighth in the league with a .990 fielding percentage. Boxwell was sixth in caught-stealing runners with seven.

Bajusz, an All-MAC second-team selection last season, will anchor the pitching staff. In the MAC, the senior was ninth in ERA, 3.03; third in strikeouts, 163; fifth in innings pitched, 171.0; fifth in wins, 13; sixth in batters struck out looking, 30; and seventh in opponent batting average, .250.

Wilson is also looking at senior transfer Jensen Gremillion (Nicholls State) and junior transfer Kailey O'Connor (St. Mary's College in California).  Last season, Gremillion pitched in 14 innings, averaging a strikeout per inning and having a 2.86 ERA. In the 2022 season, she had a 12-6 record. O'Connor pitched in 26 games last year with a 3.34 ERA in 109 innings, walking just 21.

''They can all start, come in or close out a game,'' Wilson said. 'They all compliment each other extremely well.''

The catchers are Boxwell and sophomore transfer Gabbie Evans (Michigan State). Boxwell hit .250 with three home runs. Evans played in five games for MSU in 2023.
When Bajusz isn't pitching, she will be an option at first base. Between pitching and playing first, Bajusz had just one error last year. Wilson is also looking at Chumbley at first. She played in 42 games last season, starting in 24 and driving in 13 runs, which was fourth for WMU.

Depending on the situation, several people could play second base, third base and shortstop. Strong options are Smith, Brendtke, Garey, junior transfer Riley Dittmar (Eastern Illinois), and freshman Caitlin Tighe (Edwardsburg). Smith played in 39 games, hitting .244; Garey appeared in 28 games; Brendtke hit .277 in 43 games; Dittmar played in 42 games for Eastern Illinois, hitting .346 in Ohio Valley Conference games; and Tighe had a prep career batting average of .414 with 25 home runs and 131 RBI.

''We have versatility and depth on the infield. Each player brings different strengths,'' Wilson said. ''It will be decisive on offense and what kind of lineup we're facing for game strategy."

In the outfield, it will be Kelly, who had 37 hits, three home runs and 22 RBI in 2023; Hudson; Wolfe, who played in 43 games for the Broncos last season; graduate student transfer Megan Welsh (Harvard), who was a first-team Ivy League outfielder, hitting .325 with three home runs and 23 RBI; sophomore transfer Emily Yacapraro (Cleveland State), who played in 23 games last season at her former school; and a number of young players who will provide additional depth.

Versatility and pitching are things Wilson feels are team strengths.

While WMU missed out on the MAC tournament last year, Wilson feels her team can make it this year as the tourney expands to six teams from four. Weather didn't help the Broncos in 2023 as it was rained out of a three-game series with next-to-last place Buffalo. If WMU could have swept that series, it would have been in the mix for a playoff spot.

''The MAC is very competitive every season,'' Wilson said. ''It's so crazy how everything comes down to one game, especially if you are in the middle of the standings.

''Every game matters, every pitch matters and you can't look too far ahead or too far behind.''

This new, Redefined team wants to make every pitch matter in 2024.