As a student-athlete at Concordia from 2011 to 2014, first-year Southwestern head softball coach Alexis Lynn got a firsthand look at the program's meteoric rise as a regional powerhouse in the program's first five years. 

Coaching at Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)-rival Schreiner University in 2021, Lynn saw a Southwestern program in transition from a distance, posting a 14-19 record, including 11-10 in the conference. 

Now, she's tasked with restoring the program to its former glory after its second coaching change in the past two years. 

"Southwestern has always been one of the best teams in the conference. I think what I've seen is the team had some bumps in the road, and everyone has had a crazy time with COVID," Lynn says. "My goal coming here is to get us back on track and the national stage again. There's a lot of room to be successful here, and we're in a good place to accomplish a lot of our goals."

The Pirates, once a steady presence in the top two spots in the SCAC preseason polls alongside Texas Lutheran, open the season in fifth with a young roster comprised of 10 first-year students on a roster of 21 players. Lynn arrived in September, just in time to make the fall ball schedule. 

"We were all thrown right into the fire getting to know each other. Having a new coach in a new year with a group of half freshmen, half returners is definitely a challenge for all of us," Lynn admits. "I'm still figuring out the best way to coach some of them, but they've been receptive towards me, and we're starting to see improvements here and there. Hopefully, they can trust in that little improvement now enough to trust I'll do what I can to put them in the best position possible." 

In the absence of a coach the first month of the school year, senior Maddie Mefford stepped up to help organize and lead the team. Mefford had a breakthrough season as a junior, leading the team in almost every statistical category, including hits (43), batting average (.387), doubles (10), runs scored (20), and stolen bases (16). 

"The fall was interesting because we didn't have a coach for the first part of it. It was difficult for everyone, especially with so many first-year students," Mefford says. "It isn't easy to try and figure out where you fit in the program without a coach. I credit the seniors with helping guide them and creating that family atmosphere, so everyone was more mentally prepared." 

Mefford also credits her career-best season last year to a change in approach. 

"I got comfortable in my position and found my place on and off the field when I realized I only had a couple of years left to play this sport, so I was just going to go out and have fun," Mefford recalls. "Losing a lot of the seniors was hard at first because they were great leaders, but now I've had to find my voice and speak out as a vocal leader." 

Mefford also has help from fellow seniors Izzy Richey, who is expected to work behind the plate full-time after backing up senior Katelyn Francis last season, and All-SCAC Second Team utility player Kinly McCaffrey, who hit .340 for the season and compiled a 3-2 record with a save while striking out 49 and posting a 4.53 ERA. 

"Izzy's bat is pretty solid for us, and I'm excited to see her grow behind the plate after a season of just working at catcher," Lynn says. "Kinly throws hard, has passion, and is aggressive in the pitcher's circle. She's going to own it when she gets in there." 

After relying on complete-game pitchers the past few years, Lynn says the team will utilize the entire pitching staff, which goes five deep with McCaffrey, Paige Rassmusen, Taylor McKenzie, Madison Vela, and Mattigan Aga. 

"Paige is the opposite of Kinly in that she has a quiet, cool, calm demeanor. She works the count, moves the ball, and spins it well," Lynn explains. "Taylor is a lengthy lefty with good stuff and a calm presence. Madison works hard and gets better every practice, and Mattigan mixes it up well and has some crazy last-second movement I'm excited to see. I'm a coach that uses the pitchers as a staff, so for us to be as successful as we want to be, I think all five pitchers are going to come into play." 

They'll be supported by a strong defense anchored in the middle by Jessey Nunez, a two-year starter at shortstop, and Mefford at second base. 

"Our defense is going to be a strength of our team," Lynn says. "We have a lot of range in the middle, and our outfield has grown tremendously. Sam Martinez has shown a lot of growth out there, and her bat is pretty solid. Jodi Millhouse runs all over the place, and Erica Otto joins us from the volleyball team, so she's a good athlete and a lefty with a good bat." 

The Pirates also have speed in Rylee Rudloff and Alex Fletes, who can be dangerous on the bases. 

"We were in practice, and someone said we looked really fast on the bases," Lynn says. "And it's a work in progress. They're dangerous on the bases, but you can't steal first. So we still need to get on base." 

Among the newcomers, third baseman Sam Frieze is a steady glove and bat, and first baseman Megan McCarthy is a left-handed power hitter, giving Southwestern options on the corners. In addition, Paige Shuck is a promising middle infielder who should find a role in situational spots as a pinch-runner or hitter. 

"The amount of raw talent on this team stood out in the fall. We've been pushing ourselves to exhaustion every day, realizing practices are going to be harder than game days," Lynn says. "Coach Doria left the program in a great spot athletically, and now it's my turn to keep the program going. My goals are to be back on the national stage, and we have the capability of doing that."