Photo courtesy of PhotoWorks: The 2026 Marshall softball team includes Jennifer Lee, Natalya Reed, Claire Kruse, Kelsey Cowden, Brynlee Dieken, Taylor Frana, Sara Dallmann, Bailynn Parsons, Aaliyah Podratz, Haylee Kirchner, Kinsley Bitker, Mya Walerius, Avery Schauman, Jaylah Morgan, Alissa Moen.

MARSHALL — Fielding a roster composed primarily of underclassmen, the Marshall softball team is looking to continue rebuilding this year. The Tigers went winless last season after graduating nearly its entire roster from a year prior, but looks to continue developing its abundance of young talent this time around.

This year’s Marshall squad features just one senior, pitcher Alissa Moen, and four juniors. The other 10 roster spots are made up exclusively of players in their sophomore year or younger, including three middle schoolers. As such, Marshall head coach Stacey Baedke said the key focus for the Tigers this season is just to get 1% better each and every day.

“I think that comes with their mindset and being prepared with our games,” Baedke said. “Just having that fire that I saw tonight.”

Moen was the team’s primary pitcher last season, throwing a team-leading 68 innings with a 7.00 ERA and a 2.3 WHIP. Moen also struck out 70 batters while walking just 28. Sara Dallman filled in a complementary role, compiling a 7.53 ERA and a 2.73 WHIP over 43 2/3 frames.

Offensively, Dallman was the team’s best bat in her sophomore season. She finished the year with a 1.021 OPS, nearly .300 points higher than any other player, with a .452 on-base percentage and seven doubles. Her 10 RBIs were also second only to catcher Bailynn Parsons’ 12.

Brynlee Dieken and Parsons also return as on-base machines, finishing last season with a .394 and .373 clip, respectively. Dieken was also dangerous on the basepaths once she got on, finishing with a team-best five steals.

One of the big focuses for this year’s group of Tigers is cleaning up errors, Baedke said, whether they’re physical or mental errors. The Tigers finished last season with 127 errors over 21 games, though the young roster’s increased experience should help them continue to limit those miscues this time around.

“We are a young team. We start two eighth graders, who’ve done a phenomenal job,” Baedke said. “[We also start] freshman Jennifer Lee [at shortstop]. She was on every time she came in [in Tuesday’s game against Jordan], she pitched for us and got ground balls, so I’m very happy with what’s happening right now. We just need to clean it up a little bit in the field, and I think that will put us in a good spot.”

Early on this season, freshman Kinsley Bitker looks to have taken a big step forward at third base for the Tigers. Through six games, Bitker’s posted a team-best .583 on-base percentage and a 1.028 OPS. Eighth grader Taylor Frana has also looked strong early with a .450 on-base percentage.

Marshall’s offense has shown an ability to be potent as it continues to make strides in the right direction. They racked up 11 hits in Tuesday’s loss to St. Peter, a mark they hit just twice last season.

Part of the difference this year is the team’s competitive spirit, Baedke said, adding that there was a degree of complacency that the team reached at points last season but they’ve come into this season even hungrier for wins.

“It’s a mindset, and your confidence is going to be half the battle when you get up to bat,” Baedke said, adding that the team put an emphasis in getting more live at-bats than it has in past years. “I think that’s giving them the opportunity to see those pitches that move … And it’s showing. They’re having good at-bats. They’re getting on base when they need to. We’ve just got to execute when we’ve got runners in scoring position.”

While the Tigers haven’t gotten into the win column yet, they’ve shown that they have the tools to get there sooner rather than later. Baedke said that the team’s resiliency has shown early on in the way they battled through 35-degree doubleheaders and come into games after a loss ready to do whatever they can to help the team bounce back from a loss.

Marshall has gotten off to an 0-6 start so far this season, but there’s plenty of ball left to play and the Tigers have been trending in the right direction, even if the wins haven’t come yet.

“Their anxiousness to want to win is there more than it was last year, and it’s exciting. It’s going to happen for us,” Baedke said. “I’m very proud of them and I’m very excited to see what happens this season.”