On paper, the University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team appears to be young with 12 of the 17 players on its roster being either freshmen or sophomores. But don't take that youth lightly as there is still plenty of experience and talent in that group.
 
The Tritons take the field for the first time in 2013 this Friday at the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic in Tucson, Ariz., under the direction of third-year head coach Brian Levin. UMSL returns six starting position players from last year's 27-25 squad, five of which are sophomores, including first baseman Brianna Butler and catcher Madison Zbaraschuk.
 
Both led UMSL offensively last season and for their efforts were named to the NFCA First Team All-Midwest Region Team. Butler, who was also an unanimous first team all-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection, batted .404 with 65 hits, including 10 homeruns and 12 doubles, 45 RBIs and 30 runs scored, while Zbaraschuk, also a First Team All-GLVC pick, batted .336 and led the team with 13 doubles, while also tallying 50 hits, including nine homeruns and finishing with 42 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
 
Senior shortstop Haleigh Jenkins represents the lone veteran upperclassmen. She enters her final season as a Triton ranked eighth all-time in career home runs with 11. Jenkins tallied five of those last year, while batting .241 with 40 hits, 22 RBIs and 17 runs.
 
Other returners include sophomore pitcher Jena Boudreau, sophomore infielder Katie Wood and sophomore outfielder Katie Rutledge.
 
Boudreau posted a team-best 10-8 record in the circle and batted .317 with 40 hits, 13 RBIs and 25 runs scored, while Wood started all 52 games at second base last season, posting a batting average of .306 with 45 hits, including 10 homeruns, 37 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Rutledge started 35 of the 42 games she played in, while batting .203 and scoring 20 runs.
 
Levin welcomes 11 newcomers, including three four-year school transfers, two junior college transfers and six freshmen.
 
Headlining the newcomers is junior outfielder Ashleigh King, a transfer from the University of Memphis, who was selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2011. Sophomore pitcher Brittni Chapman joins the squad after spending last season at Morehead State, where she made eight appearances in the circle, while senior pitcher/infielder Alexa Harvey transferred to UMSL after playing last season at Southwest Baptist.
 
Junior utility player Hannah Wessels is a transfer from Lake Land Community College, while junior outfielder Allyson Luce comes from Mineral Area Community College, where as a sophomore she earned first team all-region honors after batting .314 with 60 hits and 23 RBIs.
 
Among the freshmen are infielder Mckenzie Halstead (Lawrenceville, Ga.), catcher Katie Schutlz (Minock, Ill.), outfielder Taylor Dunne (Cary, Ill.), pitcher Hannah Perryman (Streamwood, Ill.) and utility players Brandi Kiel (St. Peters, Mo.) and Paige Pluester (East Alton, Ill.).
 
Halstead helped Collins Hill High School to three Georgia AAAAA state championships, while earning all-state and all-county honors, while Schultz earned first team all-conference and second team all-state honors as a senior at Fieldcrest High School.
 
Dunne was a three-time all-conference selection and earned third team all-state honors as a senior at Cary-Grove High School, while Perryman was a two-time all-state selection at Elgin High School and was named her conference's pitcher of the year.
 
Kiel earned first team all-region, all-conference and all-district honors at Francis Howell North High School, while Pluester was a three-time first team all-conference and all-area selection at Roxana High School.
 
The Tritons will meet No. 6 ranked Minnesota State Mankato in the opener on Friday and will also face No. 16 Central Oklahoma that day before games against Southeast Oklahoma State and No. 8 Augustana (S.D.) on Saturday. UMSL will close out the three-day tournament with two games on Sunday in bracket play.
 
The Tritons continue preseason play at the North Alabama Tournament in Florence, Ala., February 23-24 before hosting Lewis on March 9 in the home and Great Lakes Valley Conference opener.