AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria Lady Gyrene softball team opens its 2015 season on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Fort Lauderdale to take on NCAA DII Nova Southeastern. Game one of the twin bill is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. with game two to start at approximately 3 p.m.
 
LADY GYRENES 2014 RECAP
 
The Blue and Green are coming off of a record-setting 30-win season that saw the Lady Gyrenes finish 7-9 in Sun Conference play. AMU returns 17 letterwinners from the 2014 squad that set program marks in wins (30), runs scored (231), hits (415), doubles (44), triples (18), and ERA (2.29). On the base paths, the Lady Gyrenes stole 140 bases which ranked fifth in the NAIA.
 
Junior outfielder Kingsley Avery hit at an impressive .433 clip in 2014. She ranked seventh in the NAIA in triples with seven and led the Lady Gyrenes in stolen bases with 32. Pitcher/utility player Cheyenne Benson will once again be an impact player for the Blue and Green. Benson finished the season with a .304 batting average and drove in 30 RBI last season. In the circle, Benson finished with a 2.92 ERA over 60 innings.
 
Emily Lemin will see a lot of work in the circle for the Lady Gyrenes. Lemin pitched 167 innings in 2014, tallying 114 K's with a 2.14 ERA. Last season, she ranked 22nd in the NAIA in innings pitched per game, going nearly six innings per outing.
 
GYRENE CATEGORY LEADERS (2014)
 
Batting Average – Kingsley Avery, 0.433
RBI – Cheyenne Benson, 30 RBI
Stolen Bases – Kingsley Avery, 32 SB
ERA – Beth Vaccarezza, 2.00 ERA (Graduated)
Strikeouts – Cheyenne Benson, 42 K
 
SCOUTING NOVA SOUTHEASTERN
 
The Sharks enter the year picked to finish third overall in the Sunshine State Preseason Coaches' Poll. NSU is coming off of a 30-20 season. They finished 15-9 in SSC play. As a team, Nova Southeastern hit at a .276 clip and held opponents to a .235 batting average.
 
Rebecca Thornton returns in the circle for the Sharks. She recorded a 10-4 record in 22 appearances and 11 starts last season. She finished with a 2.85 ERA over 88.1 innings. Lorena Spaulding is the team's best returning hitter. She hit at a .331 clip in 2014. Spaulding had 43 hits, second-best on the team, 41 of which were singles.
 
The Sharks have to replace 2014 SSC Player of the Year Erika Garcia who hit at a .367 clip. She recorded 22 extra-base hits including five home runs and drove in 45 runs. She also recorded a 2.71 ERA in the circle over 96.1 innings pitched.
 
AMU HIGHLIGHTS AND NAIA NATIONAL RANKINGS (AS OF END OF 2014 SEASON)
 
TEAM RANKINGS
 

• Ranks Number 2 in Division I in Total Caught Stealing (42)
• Ranks Number 3 in Division I in Caught Stealing per Game (0.700)
• Ranks Number 5 in Division I in Total Stolen Bases (140)
• Ranks Number 5 in Division I in Steal Attemps per Game (3.033)
• Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Total Putouts (1202)
• Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Total Innings Pitched (400.200)
• Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Total Chances (1751)
• Ranks Number 9 in Division I in Stolen Bases per Game (2.333)
• Ranks Number 20 in Division I in Total Triples (18)
• Ranks Number 22 in Division I in Errors per Game (2.283)
• Ranks Number 22 in Division I in Putouts per Game (20.033)
• Ranks Number 23 in Division I in Earned Run Average (2.290)
• Ranks Number 24 in Division I in Total At Bats (1511)
• Ranks Number 25 in Division I in Innings Pitched per Game (6.678)
• Ranks Number 41 in Division I in Triples per Game (0.300)

 
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
 

• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 2 in Division I in Caught Stealing per Game (0.164)
• Brandi Griswold Ranks Number 3 in Division I in Caught Stealing per Game (0.157)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 7 in Division I in Total Triples (7)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Total Steal Attempts (41)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 14 in Division I in Steal Attemps per Game (0.745)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 17 in Division I in Total Stolen Bases (32)
• Amber Presto Ranks Number 18 in Division I in Errors per Game (0.566)
• Beth Vaccarezza Ranks Number 19 in Division I in Total Earned Runs Allowed (24)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 20 in Division I in Triples per Game (0.127)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 22 in Division I in Total Earned Runs Allowed (25)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 22 in Division I in Innings Pitched per Game (5.964)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 24 in Division I in Total Hits Allowed (64)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 27 in Division I in Total Triples (5)
• Kingsley Avery Ranks Number 29 in Division I in Stolen Bases per Game (0.582)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 30 in Division I in Losses (14)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 38 in Division I in Triples per Game (0.109)
• Emily Lemin Ranks Number 46 in Division I in Total Innings Pitched (167.000)
• Beth Vaccarezza Ranks Number 47 in Division I in Earned Run Average (2.000)
• Cheyenne Benson Ranks Number 48 in Division I in Total Runs Allowed (41)