The Olentangy Orange softball team has a lot of individual talent coming back after closing the 2022 season strong to finish as district runner-up.

Both pitchers — senior Anna Wilming and sophomore Gauri Naik — are back, and the lineup is loaded. But the Pioneers’ success this season will stem from way more than just the headliners.

“The great thing about our team is we have 12 very capable young ladies that are all very important for our success,” Orange coach Mason Robinson said. “We will be using all of them throughout the season in different roles, and the lineups are still being worked on as our girls are competing every day.”

Other returners include seniors Kensi Steele (corner infield), Meghan Riley (utility) and Carley Phillips (outfield); juniors Kennedy Reed (outfield), Leah Weaver (utility), Maddie Yanka (catcher/corner infield) and Sofie Terlesky (infield); and sophomore Jordyn Pelles (middle infield).

Sophomores Izzy Wilson (utility) and Emily Rodenberg (catcher/outfield) are newcomers who should also make some noise.

Last season’s late push gave the team a lot of momentum heading into the offseason, Robinson said.

“We had a lot of momentum, which created a lot of excitement,” she said. “The girls really focused on getting stronger and quicker. As far as individual skills, the girls worked a lot on their own time to hit and get their reps in.”

Orange will open the season in Florida before retuning home to take on Dublin Jerome (April 3), Teays Valley (April 4), Olentangy Berlin (April 6) and Cardington-Lincoln (April 8). The Pioneers also have North Union and Olentangy on the road before getting into league play against host Dublin Coffman (April 13).

“We have a lot of really challenging games this season,” Robinson said, “and our approach is to play it game-by-game. We don’t want to overlook anyone. Every game is important to us, to compete and get better.”