River Forest, IL- As the Dominican University softball team is preparing to begin their season on Saturday under Head Coach Cristina Lukas, the coaches and team have been working hard to get ready for the 2021 campaign.
 
Coach Lukas has been excited about the way that practices have been going during the preseason. "It's been a great pre-season so far. The team is working hard to get ready for our games this weekend. This is a very coachable group with a high softball I.Q., so they are picking up on things quickly. It's finally warming up and the snow is melting, so we are excited to get outside!" 
 
With the Stars season coming to a halt last season due to COVID-19, the goal is to always stay safe and healthy through the season. "Last season was heartbreaking, so coming into this season the biggest goal is to keep everyone healthy and to play as many games as possible." 
 
With games starting soon, Coach Lukas is looking for a few returners to step up and become leaders for the team. "We are counting on Allyson Dilday to take the reins this year as our number one pitcher. She's a solid pitcher that keeps us in every game, so we will have a lot of success if we support her. Candace Kipp was our number three hitter last spring and is a high-level defensive catcher. She is a leader by example and is huge for the culture of our team," said Coach Lukas. "Julia Orozco was all-conference as a freshman, and I believe she was on pace to do the same when our season was canceled last spring. She has looked very strong so far, so we are counting on her to step up big for this team. Lastly is Cecilia Winters-McCarthy who has been starting since her freshman year. She has always been strong defensively but started to come on extremely strong with her bat last spring. We are counting on her to make a big contribution this year."
 
This season the Stars have a solid group of returners and incoming freshmen that are looking to be a force this season. "We have a solid group of returners and the bulk of our team is back from last season. We have added a lot of talent in our freshman class, and anticipate major contributions right away from them," continued Coach Lukas. "This group of women handled themselves extremely well during the heartbreak of COVID-19 last spring and showed a lot of character in the face of adversity. They took the lessons learned into fall ball and grew stronger. I'm excited to see how this season plays out with such a great group."
 
The Stars open their season with a pair of home double-headers against the Edgewood College Eagles Saturday, March 13, and Sunday, March 14 with a start time of 2:00 p.m. each day.