Ottumwa -- After her first season as head coach ended with a trip to the national tournament, Indian Hills softball coach Lindsay Diehl is anxious to see what the Warriors can do in 2020. Diehl piloted IHCC to a 42-18 record last season along with regular-season and postseason conference championships and a district tournament title before Indian Hills split four games at the national tourney last May.
In her second season of fall softball, Diehl said she wouldn't necessarily say it was easier than the year before, but it was definitely different. "I felt much more prepared and knew what I wanted it to look like," the coach said. "I also knew my players coming into the fall. Last year I was trying to figure out who was who and what positions they could play, how to coach them and other little details about each player. This year I had a whole year with the sophomores and had spent time getting to know the freshmen during the recruiting process."
The Warriors played a fall schedule that was filled with four-year schools. Diehl described the slate of contests as a tough test. "It was great exposure for our sophomores as well. We played some really great innings and did some good things against great competition that only prepared us even more for when we faced other junior colleges this fall."
The success of the 2019 IHCC team that included 102 home runs, second-best in program history, and three freshmen -- Alexis Groet, Brooke Snider and Chloe Olson -- all being named NJCAA All-Americans could, in some cases, result in a little bit of complacency. The Indian Hills coach doesn't think that will be a problem. "I think the success they had last year makes them even hungrier for more this season," she said. "They now know how we play Indian Hills softball and the returners have been great leaders this fall, showing the freshmen how we do things. All the sophomores want to get back to (St. George) Utah and they are willing to put in the work to get there."
Diehl says there was a lot to like about what she saw during the fall campaign, saying, "Offensively we did some great things doing what we like to do, and that's put runs on the scoreboard. We actually had a couple of freshmen that really stepped up and led us offensively, which is exciting to add to the returners. Our pitching staff is deeper and each one had some great outings against good competition. Defensively, there is something there to keep growing fundamentally."
Since ending the fall game schedule, the Warriors have been busy working indoors in the Tom Arnold Net Center with a focus already on the start of the spring slate.
"I always think we can get better in all areas," Diehl explained, "and I think the new players are really starting to want to listen and improve some swings along with the returning players wanting to fine-tune things with their swings. Our time in the weight room this offseason will be a key to what we end up looking like on the field. I think the 102 home runs last spring were the result of what we did in the weight room and the players realize that."
By the way, the school record for homers is 110 and the 2020 Warriors already have that number in their sights with three players back who all slammed at least 20 roundtrippers in '19. Snider slugged a program single-season record 27, Macey Harrington walloped 24 and Olson had 20.
Indian Hills, as always, will play a rugged early-season schedule in the spring, starting with two days of indoor games in Burlington Feb. 8 and 9. They're scheduled to play six games in Texas and two in Oklahoma before the home opener against State Fair CC on Mar. 7.