LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates softball team has played just a combined 20 games the last two years due to the pandemic. This year the Bobcats are gearing up to play more than 30 games, starting Thursday afternoon with a doubleheader at Emerson that gets underway at 4pm. 

In the circle, the Bobcats are led by senior RHP Danielle Polirer (Bellmore, N.Y.), who made five appearances and started three contests during last year's 12-game campaign. Polirer struck out 11 batters in seven innings and did not allow an earned run in a complete game against Saint Joseph's and earned the win with two innings pitched, striking out two in a 6-4 victory over Colby. Polirer is a neuroscience major and shines in the classroom. She was named an Easton All-America Scholar-Athlete by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2019 and earned NESCAC All-Academic recognition in 2020 and 2021.

Polirer is one of six seniors on the team, who all remember what a full season feels like. As a first-year in 2019, Polirer went 2-0 in eight appearances out of the bullpen. 

On offense, senior captains Janell Sato (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Emily Samar (New York City) lead the way. Sato has started every game during her time at Bates and provides solid power in the middle of the order. In her rookie year, Sato hit 290/.424/.42, going 31-107 at the plate with 21 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 16 walks and two stolen bases. Defensively, Sato can play anywhere on the right side of the infield.  

Samar returns to the team after studying remotely last spring. A strong leader, Samar will be in the mix to start at catcher this year for Bates. She went 5-16 at the plate with seven runs scored, two RBIs, four walks and a stolen base in 2020. As a first-year in 2019, Samar hit .250/.284/.295, going 22-88 with seven runs scored, two doubles, one triple, seven RBIs, four walks and two stolen bases.

Senior outfielder Aleah Pagan (Orinda, Calif.) is another stalwart on offense for Bates. A NESCAC Spring All-Academic selection in 2021, Pagan started 10 games in an abbreviated season for the Bobcats, hitting .290 (9-31) on the year with six runs scored, a double, three RBIs, three walks and a .371 OBP. She hit .308 in 2020 after a solid rookie season in 2019 in which she tallied a .276 batting average while starting all 36 games. 

Like Samar, seniors Kennedy Ishii (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Eliza McNulty (Cambridge, Mass.) return to the team after studying remotely last spring.

An excellent shortstop, Ishii started all eight games in 2020, going 8-24 at the plate with seven runs scored, a triple, four RBIs, four walks and four stolen bases. She started all 36 games as a rookie in 2019, hitting 275/.321/.314 on the season. and going 28-102 at the plate with 19 runs scored, two doubles, one triple, nine RBIs, seven walks and nine stolen bases.

A left-handed hitting first baseman, McNulty started all eight games in an abbreviated season for the Bobcats in 2020. She went 5-18 at the plate with four runs scored, one double, three RBIs and two walks on the year. As a rookie in 2019, McNulty played in 22 games, starting 17 while hitting .292/.346/.479 on the season. She went 14-48 at the plate with four runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, five RBIs and four walks. 

Among the returnees, junior infielder Lindsey Kim (Palo Alto, Calif.) played in all 12 games last year, starting 11. She led the team in batting average at .333 (12-36) with four runs scored and six RBIs. Fellow junior Cassidy Musco (Walpole, Mass.) posted a .333 on-base percentage and sophomore Rachel Liazos (Westborough, Mass.) tied for third among the returnees in OBP at .371. 

Junior Amanda Taylor (Fair Lawn, N.J.), junior Kama Boswell (Bellevue, Wash.) and sophomore Cameron Jones-McNally (Marcellus, Mich.) provide even more depth for Bates. Taylor hit her first collegiate home run last season and provides some pop along with Sato (three career homers) and McNulty (two career homers). 

The Bobcats also welcome junior pitcher/outfielder Katherine Merisotis (Coventry, Conn.) to the team this year along with a first-year class of three new Bobcats fans will get to see make their collegiate debuts in 2022. 

After their two games in Boston on Thursday, the Bobcats travel to Florida for eight games in five days. The home opener is set for Wednesday, April 6 at 3pm when the Bobcats welcome Thomas College to town for a doubleheader.