Image courtesy of Redbird Athletics
WZND’s Cason Schingoethe and Liam Lyons both contributed to this story.
NORMAL, Ill – Illinois State University softball’s first-year head coach Tina Kramos sees a lot of strengths in her team ahead of the 2023 season.
Coach Kramos emphasized how much this season means to her, following in the footsteps of legendary Redbird coach Melinda Fischer, the winningest coach in school history.
Kramos anticipates the pitching staff to be a large part of this upcoming season. Veteran pitching, like Amanda Fox and Hannah Ross, will be key for the team this season. Kramos confirmed this, yet is confident in the rest of her lineup.
“I would say yes,” Kramos said, “but the two freshmen coming in will help with our depth this year.”
The young pitchers Coach Kramos refers to are Hannah Meshnick and Hannah Meeks, two highly touted pitching prospects coming out of high school. Meshnick coming off a final high school season in which saw her strike out a staggering 157 batters in 117 innings, all while posting a minute 0.84 ERA.
Perhaps what is most impressive to Kramos is her team’s defense, with both speed and agility. After multiple non-conference tournaments, the Redbirds are set to open their home season against DePaul on March 21.