SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team kicks off its 2021 season on Sunday when they travel to Collegeville to face Saint Ben’s for their season opener. The team played an eight game 2020 season before the pandemic, finishing 3-5 overall without competing in conference play. Following the conclusion of the season, Coley Ries was selected as the eighth head coach in program history. Ries is in the unique situation of having her first practices socially distant. “As a spring sport we’re getting used to just going with the flow,” said Head Coach Coley Ries. “Our girls have done a really good job of being able to handle it mentally and physically to perform when they have the opportunity to.”
Ries has an impressive resume as a player including a wealth of achievements. As the ace of the pitching staff, Ries led the Mavericks to the 2017 NCAA Division II national championship where she posted a 41-3 overall record with a 1.05 ERA while striking out 476 batters in 294.2 innings. After going 5-0 at the national tournament with a 1.20 ERA and 50 strikeouts, Ries earned Most Outstanding Player honors. She was named the 2017 NFCA Division II Player of the Year and the D2CCA Pitcher of the Year. Ries also earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, was a two-time All-American, two-time Central Region Pitcher of the Year, and three-time NSIC Pitcher of the Year. Since graduating in 2017, Ries has played professional softball for the Texas Charge, Chicago Bandits, and the Aussie Spirit. Most recently Ries made her start for Athletes Unlimited on team Warren in the fall of 2020.
Ries will make her head coaching debut in the Sunday matchup. “I’m excited to see everything come together and see what we look like as a team. You can only see so much in practice but once we start playing we can identify who the gamers are, who is going to surprise us. You can’t really replicate what someone is going to be like in a game compared to practice. So I look forward to seeing who emerges in those situations. There’s nerves that come with it but I think we’re all excited and grateful to get out there.”
Back on campus, Ries looks to senior Ashley Neunfeldt (Sr. Bloomington) to lead the pack. Neunfeldt finished last season a .385 average in all eight games played with nine runs, four RBI’s, and a .577 slugging percentage. Neunfeldt also has a team best ERA of 2.28. “Ashley being our only senior has had to take on a lot of responsibilities and she is more than willing and able to do that on and off the field so we’ll look to her to lead the team when she’s pitching and on the outfield. She knows what it takes at this level and demonstrates it as a leader.” Kaylyn Leonard (Jr., Plymouth) also returns as a standout with .333 average, three runs, and one RBI in the brief 2020 season.
The 2021 roster encompasses fresh talent with six first-years and four sophomores.
“A lot of our sophomores are on the radar with their prior season cut short. Between them and our first-years I think they’ll make an immediate impact and I believe that there’s some girls who could have incredible careers here. To be able to start off with them would be really exciting.”
The first pitch is at 5 p.m. at Collegeville on Sunday when the Gusties face off against the Bennies. Saint Ben’s finished 7-7 in their 2021 season. “Scouting our opponents is tough without having last season to go off of. Saint Ben’s is a really well coached team and they’ve been successful in recent seasons. It’s gonna be a tough matchup to start off against but we’ll learn a lot about our team in that first outing.