First year NIU softball coach Lindsay Chouinard had just one losing season in her four years as an assistant coach at DePaul. Those four years were a lot different than Chouinard’s debut season at the helm of the Huskie softball program.

NIU went just 13-30 for the 2008 season, with a MAC record of 7-13 while finishing fourth in the MAC West and eighth overall.

“Obviously it didn’t turn out how anybody wanted it to,” Chouinard said. “It was a hard year.”

The Huskies finished last in the MAC in hitting with a team average of .213. Only two NIU players had a batting average over .260 - shortstop Michelle Nendza and third baseman Krista McPherson.

Nendza was the Huskies biggest bright spot in 2008. The senior hit .292 while setting the school record with 10 home runs on the year.

“It was great to break that record,” Nendza said. “I did what I could but I wish I could have been able to get the runs in when we needed them.”

Nendza also made the switch from third base to shortstop for the 2008 season after playing her first three years at third base. Krista McPherson, who played shortstop her first three years, moved over to third base.

However, both McPherson and Nendza struggled at their new positions. McPherson was second to last on the team in fielding percentage, while Nendza finished just one spot ahead.

“If I would have had more practice there and got more comfortable, I would have done better,” Nendza said. “Getting switched from third to short was a very big adjustment.”

NIU pitching didn’t fare much better than the offense. The Huskies finished eighth in the MAC in team ERA. The team’s top starter in 2007, Kate Greenough, missed a lot of the season due to injury. Taryn Hagemann also suffered from being hit in the head while pitching in a game against Central Michigan on March 29.

“Those two were injured all year,” Chouinard said. “I think that they’re both very good.”

With the disappointment of 2008 behind them, the Huskie softball program has nowhere to go but up. NIU will lose seniors McPherson, Nendza, and Hagemann, as well as outfielder Jenna Mitchell, but the team returns everyone else from this year’s squad.

“Hopefully it will get better as we go along,” Chouinard said. “I didn’t come here with a magic wand, that’s not how a coaching change works.”

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