After losing eight of the top 11 hitters from last year, a softball coach might want to ease her newbies into the season with easier competition at the start.

Western Michigan University second year coach Marlee Wilson doesn't think that way…like a non-conference schedule which includes the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, Florida, according to D1Softball.com.

''We want to challenge ourselves with good competition early,''  Wilson said. ''We have competitive preseason weekends scheduled and the team is up for the challenge.''

The three top returners are seniors Payton Kelly (.351 batting average, a team-leading 53 hits and five home runs) and Riley Dittmar (.345, and team-leader in 35 runs. 15 doubles, 28 RBI, 79 total bases and 22 walks) and junior Haleigh Smith (.243). From last season, WMU lost 44 percent of its runs scored and 58 percent of its hits.

''This schedule definitely gets us ready for the Mid-American Conference games,'' Kelly, an All-MAC first teamer in 2024, said. ''I'm ecstatic about playing this kind of schedule.
''Having a hard preseason is beneficial for everyone because we'll be facing tough pitching. It builds confidence when we see tough pitching in the MAC.''

WMU jumps right into it, starting on Friday, Feb. 7 with a tournament at Arizona, playing the host team, Michigan State twice, Alabama and Washington. The tournament at Florida includes Troy, Florida A&M, Samford and the Gators. The Broncos are scheduled to play in five non-conference tournaments before opening MAC play on March 14 at Toledo.

Besides Kelly and Dittmar, the seniors on the team are Jensen Gremillion, Taylor Wolfe and Kailey O'Connor. The juniors are Haleigh Smith, Emily Yacapraro, Tristen Head, Jadeyn Merrill, Jordan Smith, Chelsea Weatherford and Riley Chumbley. The sophomore class is Caitlin Tighe, Megan Malartsik, Casey Fazzini and Analeez Niles. The freshmen are Parker Ostach, Kaylee Salyer, Hailee Kara, Rylee O'Brien, Grace Walker, Micaela Booth, Alysa Del Val (redshirted last season) and Katie Nichols.

''We have an impactful group of 12 newcomers with five transfers and seven freshmen,'' Wilson said. ''We have a lot of options and depth at positions to provide production for us.

The biggest cleats to fill this year are those of graduated Rissa Bajusz, who was the 2024 MAC Pitcher of the Year. She had a 16-13 record with a sterling 1.93 earned run average. She also hit .306. Bajusz will continue playing softball professionally in Italy in the spring.

O'Connor is the top returning pitcher, going 7-4 with a 3.08 ERA and starting 15 games. Gremillion appeared in 15 games and Niles and Fazzini also saw action. Wilson is looking at getting innings from Merrill, who transferred from Rider University, and freshmen Kara and Salyer.

''I anticipate pitching by committee this year,'' the coach said. ''We plan to have three or four consistent starters but use the entire pitching staff strategically.''

Head, Jordan Smith and Weatherford are the Broncos' catchers and all are transfers, Head from Tennessee Tech, Smith from Central Michigan and Weatherford from Rider. Nichols, a freshman, also adds depth to the position.

Last season, WMU surprised a lot of MAC teams. After being picked for ninth, the Broncos finished third, one game out of second place, to qualify for the postseason tournament.
This year, just making the tournament isn't the big objective.

''This group wants to win the MAC Tournament and a NCAA regional game,'' Wilson said. ''A couple of our seniors who transferred in have been to the NCAA tournament and know what it takes to get us back.''

Making it through a tough preseason schedule could just help them do it.