Max Dolinh, Editor-in-Chief–

“It feels a little different this year, you know?” said Brooke Surbaugh, junior two-way player for the Denison softball team.

For Surbaugh and every other player, part of that unfamiliar feeling comes from it being the first season of their careers in which they enter as conference favorites, leading the NCAC preseason coaches’ poll released on Feb. 19. 

The top ranking is a two-spot rise from 2024, where the Big Red went to improve by seven wins before being eliminated by eventual champion DePauw in the conference tournament, ending with a record of 25-12. The coaching staff was also named NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

Junior infielder Jordyn Maurer saw last year’s regular-season sweep of the Tigers, who at the time were riding a 14-game win streak, as a turning point. “I remember winning that second game and [thinking], ‘Whoa, we just did that for the program, for Denison.’ It was insane.” 

It’s not the upward trajectory or outside noise that has created an early sense of internal confidence. To the experienced players and coaching staff, the team’s bond is now closer than ever. 

“We’ve had way more honest conversations than I didn’t even know we were [capable of]. Those conversations, and that chemistry, is a strength that’s going to continue to be seen in our success,” Surbaugh said.

Head coach Tiffany Ozbun has led the Big Red to three NCAC Tournament championships in her 17 seasons with the program. In her eyes, the current team bears the most striking resemblance to previous conference champions in terms of its camaraderie. This year’s crop of talent, which includes the return of all five All-NCAC honorees from last season, is just icing on the cake.

“We’ve had teams win championships that maybe weren’t that talented but they were really, really close. They loved each other, they trusted each other, and they were playing hard for each other. They had that team-first mentality, they weren’t trying to break individual records or they weren’t seeking individual goals. Those are some of the characteristics I’m seeing early in this team,” said Ozbun.

Among the five returning all-conference players is senior catcher Annabelle Calderon, who, highlighted by a .495 batting average and 12 home runs, became the program’s first-ever First Team All-American in 2024. 

However, those around Calderon say that the way she carries herself is not at all indicative of a player with her résumé.

“You would never know that she’s such a talented, successful athlete because she works just as hard, if not harder. She doesn’t just show up and things happen,” Ozbun said. 

“She sets a great example, but what’s really great is, she knows she’s just a member of the team.” 

The other four All-NCAC members from last season are Surbaugh (First Team), pitcher Sydney Silverstein ‘25 (Second Team), outfielder Brianna Gonzalez ‘26 (Third Team) and two-way player Madi Moffitt ‘27 (Third Team).

The team opens the season at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia from Feb. 28-March 2. 

Tournament invites are reserved for who the NFCA deems are the top Division III softball teams in the country and this year marks the Big Red’s first appearance since 2010, making it another source of preseason buzz. 

“The whole room got excited. We saw Columbus and were like, ‘Please don’t say Ohio!’” Surbaugh said of the team’s initial reaction.

Despite the invite being another testament to presumably greater prospects for the coming season, the team isn’t fazed by their name being mentioned with elite company. 

“We’re excited to play against those upper-level teams, but for us, the opponent doesn’t matter. We’ve played some of those teams before and maybe lost, maybe won. What we hope to do is go, whether we win or lose, and show that we are competitors,” said Maurer.

After six games over three days in Georgia, the team will play a midweek away doubleheader against Marietta before heading to Raleigh, North Carolina for another six-game weekend slate. The first game in Granville won’t come until March 22, their 17th contest of the season.

This seemingly daunting travel-heavy opening schedule is by design, however. By testing their resilience early against tough competition and with limited time to rest, the team aims to be best prepared for the all-important conference games in the latter half. 

They also understand that in-game experience won’t solely take them to where they want to be. Considering the constant challenges related to balancing academics and playing a sport defined by failure, offseason work has placed significant attention on developing mindfulness.

 “It’s also how we prepare mentally, we’re spending time on that every day,” Ozbun said.

One activity brought in former Denison player and now HESS professor Lauren Secaras to work on goal-setting. In those sessions, the team adopted a season mantra to personify their collective determination to prioritize the moment at hand: “No matter what.”

“You are focused no matter what. No matter what happened during the day, you are there and present. If I’m here no matter what, we’re gonna win this game, we’re gonna win this inning, or I’m gonna get a hit this at-bat. And that’s all gonna lead up to winning the NCAC,” Maurer said.

Surbaugh especially appreciates the mental conditioning with her role as a pitcher, but she’s been given a further boost by an expanded pitching staff. The addition of first-years Cassie Heinauer and Andrea Care means the Big Red will feature six pitchers this season as opposed to the four they rostered in 2024.

“When you’re having an off day, there’s someone else who can step up and help you. When [Moffitt] would come in to relieve me, it was the best feeling in the world because I knew she had my back,” Surbaugh said.

Ozbun echoes the view that the added depth figures to be a major catalyst for potential success in 2025. 

“It takes the physical and mental toll off all our pitchers. They work really well together. There isn’t one pitcher that’s going to feel like ‘Man, I’ve gotta pitch this game and get out of this jam.’”

Heinauer and Care make up two of a seven-player first-year and transfer class that the team has raved about in regard to their already veteran-like mentality. 

Maurer believes that the instant competition provided by new blood, along with the continued growth of talented returning players, elevates the entire ceiling.

“When we’re competing like that, it pushes all of us to be better versions of ourselves. There’s not one person on the bench that I don’t think can go in there and absolutely perform.”

The Big Red have not won the NCAC tournament since 2012. As the sport has shifted toward increased emphases on technology and mental health, Ozbun presently feels as prepared as she’s ever been to lead her girls. 

The influx of talent to an ascending roster, preseason accolades and tight-knit culture are all reasons to believe that something special could be brewing in Granville.

But if the stars have indeed aligned for Denison softball, the team isn’t treating it that way.