Owensboro, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan baseball and softball teams open their seasons this week, both on the road to begin 2025.
The Kentucky Wesleyan baseball team, under head coach Todd Lillpop, heads to Augusta, Georgia, to battle the Jaguars of the Peach Belt Conference this weekend. Augusta, coming off a 24-27 season last year, began 2025 last weekend, going 1-3 in a series vs. Saint Leo.
The Panthers return a decent chunk of production from the 2024 team that finished 18-32 overall. Just to name a couple returnees: Redshirt senior Braxton French aims to continue producing at the plate, batting .302 with a .388 on-base percentage while playing in all 48 games last year, and catcher Braden Vinyard returns behind the plate after hitting .298 with an impressive .414 on-base percentage in 2024.
On the mound, junior Evan Oakley looks to keep dominating this season as the leader of the staff after pitching to the tune of a 3.43 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 13 starts last year.
The Kentucky Wesleyan softball team will start the year in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of the Charger Chillout. The Panthers will play six games in three days, set to take on Montevallo, Mississippi College, Lincoln Memorial, Christian Brothers, Trevecca Nazarene, and Delta State in that order (two games each day).
Looking to bounce back from a 17-31 2024 season, the Panthers have many familiar faces still in the fold. Augusta Garr (.321/.426/.388 in 45 games), Cam Mann (.234/.275/.277 in 48 games), Chloe Apple (.213/.252/.319 in 48 games), Lauren Pellerito (.292/.306/.375 in 38 games), Grace Colvin (.281/.303/.313 in 26 games), Guinny Garr (.237/.275/.263 in 27 games), and Kennedy Matheis (.213/.263/.320 in 28 games) highlight the experienced returnees for Wesleyan at the plate.
The big question mark for the Panthers will be on the mound, as Immi Mann is the only returnee with innings pitched last year. She's set to get the bulk of the pitching workload as head coach Miles Mallette tinkers with the staff throughout the season.
Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCPanthers on X and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page. Also, the Panthers Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more.
