RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Its last game may have been nine months ago, but the Arkansas Tech softball team is hoping to keep some of the momentum it picked up over its last few weeks of play.
The Golden Suns ended the 2014 season winning 12 of their final 17 games, and won nearly two-thirds of their games in the second half of the season. For a team that still made the Great American Conference tournament and was just six games out of third place in the league, that leaves plenty of promise for 2015.

"I think we're going to be better overall," head coach Kristina McSweeney said. "We're young, we only have about eight returners. We have a big freshman class, and it's just a matter of if they're going to be ready to perform."

Tech brings back seven regulars in the offensive lineup, as well as both starting pitchers from last season. Senior Whitney Robinson will anchor the offense after being named first-team All-GAC and second-team All-Central Region in a season that saw her bat .418 with 51 runs, 77 hits, 18 doubles, three triples and 14 stolen bases, all team highs. The utility player, who saw time all over the outfield, as well as in the middle infield, was top 10 in the GAC in 10 different offensive categories, including second in average and third with a .488 on-base percentage.

Sophomore Sydnee Clark will be back in the circle for the Golden Suns after being selected first-team All-GAC in her debut season. The righty was 16-10 on the season with a 2.21 ERA in 32 appearances, getting 27 starts and tossing 18 complete games and three shutouts. Her ERA and .236 batting average against were both second in the league.

The Golden Suns won't have to rely solely on their all-conference returners though. Senior Victoria Huie was honorable mention All-GAC as a pitcher after posting a 3.63 ERA in 27 appearances, tossing 15 complete games in 25 starts. Together, Clark and Huie started 52 of Tech's 58 games, and pitched 329 1/3 of the staff's 388 1/3 innings. Huie also picked up 18 starts as a designated player when she wasn't pitching, finishing the season with a .204 average in 108 at-bats.

On offense, seniors Shanna Davidson and Chelsea Reeves, as well as sophomores Ashley Savage, Jalissa Gum and Courtney Colunga return after starting at least 48 games last season. A catcher, Colunga batted .299 with six home runs and 28 RBIs and only let through a single passed ball at backstop. Reeves started 57 games as a freshman as a corner infielder, batting .293 with six home runs and nine stolen bases, and her 33 RBIs are the most coming back.

Gum hit .260 playing mostly a shortstop, adding five doubles, 17 RBIs and eight steals. She also took to the circle for eight appearances, including four starts, going 3-1 with three complete games and a shutout while putting together a 5.12 ERA. Savage, who started 51 games in middle infield hit .236 with seven doubles and five home runs while knocking in 25 RBIs. An outfielder, Davidson was the only Tech player to start all 58
games, batting .226 with five doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBIs to go with five stolen bases.

"I think having Whitney, and having Victoria and Sydnee, who are all experienced in big-time situations, it's going to help us," McSweeney said. "I think some of the freshmen are going to be pretty good as well."
The Golden Suns open up the season this weekend with six games in three days at the UAM 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Arkansas. Both the home portion of the schedule and Great American Conference play open February 27-28 with a four-game set against East Central.