OPENING WEEKEND BASICS 

• Pratt Community College begins its 2024 season in Youngsville, La. for the Mardi Gras Invitational Tournament taking place on February 2-3  

• The Beavers will play four games over two days in Louisiana as a part of the tournament: Southwest Mississippi (Fr., 4:30 p.m.), Mississippi Gulf Coast (Fri., 7:00 p.m.), Meridian (Sat., 9:00 a.m.) and Hinds (Sat., 11:00 a.m.)  

• First Tournament Appearance for the Beavers  

"I like to play southern JUCO teams as the majority of the time they are really good," said head softball coach Joely Rogers. "With the Louisiana trip we are playing Mississippi colleges that have gone to the national tournament every year. We are playing national contenders in this tournament to see where we rank up." 

LAST SEASON RECAP 

• The Beavers finished 5-45 overall and 4-28 in conference play in the 2023 season. With conference wins coming against Northwest Tech and Seward.   

• The team advanced to the NJCAA Region VI tournament for the first time since 2018. The team faced Hutchinson in the opening round and lost 15-4 and then faced Garden City in the consolation bracket and lost 11-6.  

FRESH FACES 

• The Beavers will have 14 fresh faces on the roster this season including transfers Isabel Patty and Gabbi Everitt. The remaining players will be true freshman.  

• Gabbi Everitt will bring a much-needed shift and prowess to the Beavers pitching staff. A transfer from Southern Arkansas Tech has also played on the Oklahoma Blaze club team and the Iowa Premier Gold 16 team.  

• A true freshman Jaxin Lougue from Rogers, Ark. will be a player to watch out for on the offensive side of the ball.  

"We are really talented and bring in a lot of good hitters," said coach Rogers. "Some of the players to keep an eye on would be Jaxin Louge, Gabbi Everitt, but honestly our whole freshman class is really good, so it is hard to kind of pick just one." 

BACK IN BEAVER NATION 

• Sophomores Aspen DeFrain, Cyla Carver, Lauren Galliher and Naveya Gardner are the four sophomores returning from last year's squad.  

• Both Aspen DeFrain and Lauren Galliher will be seen as quality arms on the mound, both players played field positions last season.  

• Naveya Gardner made quality appearances last season in the lineup and will be the top returner for the Beavers in terms of experience.  

"I am hoping that they will use their experience on the field last year and be able to lead this freshman class as we are a relatively young team," said coach Rogers. "Only one sophomore returning has played their main position."  

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS 

• The Beavers will make their first appearance at Angood Field on February 11 against North Platte Community College.  

• Conference play will begin on the road at Hutchinson on February 28. The first home conference game will be on March 2 against Dodge City.  

REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS 

• Pratt was picked to finish eighth overall in the conference, but the Beavers have higher expectations than that.  

"The biggest goal is going into the playoff tournament as a higher seed," said coach Rogers. "Last season the goal was to make it back to the playoffs and now our goal is to finish top five at least."