PENDLETON — The Pendleton Heights softball team is ready for redemption.

Last year’s team ended its run with a 4-2 loss to McCutcheon in the regional final. The Lady Arabians entered that game with a 27-5 record and had hopes of getting back to the state semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Four errors kept PH from advancing to the state finals, and it’s those miscues that have the Lady Arabians motivated to get another opportunity.

“Our expectations never change,” said head coach Scott Hall. “Our goals are win conference and win state titles. We’ve been successful on most of those fronts; we just haven’t been able to squeak out a state tournament yet.”

“I think it’s (regional loss) big motivation for us, for the seniors at least,” said senior outfielder Halee Myers, who played third base a year ago. “We’ve been to the state finals once and the regional final once, and we want to make it over the hump and show people we are capable of winning it.”

PH will have to do it without some of its top performers from the 2008 club.

Top pitcher Lindsey Beisser is playing for Indiana State. Top hitter Erin Falkenberry, who led the team in home runs and set a state record for RBIs in a season (55), will swing the bat for the Butler Bulldogs (Falkenberry was also named to the All-American team).

All-around star Casey Jamerson is pursuing a professional singing career, and Maja Warrum, Stephanie Robinson, Shonda Garringer and Shayla Hinchman also graduated.

The current players admit the loss will be difficult to deal with, but they feel good about what they have and still feel they can make a deep run this season.

“It’s going to be different than we’ve been used to, but we’ve got a real great defense to help back up our pitching; we did lose some great pitching,” said senior catcher Tiffany Held, who is one of the team’s top returning contributors. “I think we’re going to surprise some people; we might be the underdog in some situations, but that doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. It’s definitely going to be a different season than we’re used to, though.”

Held and Myers, along with returning second baseman Ashley Warrum, and pitcher Lainie Dishroon, make up a solid senior class that will have to carry the considerably young Lady Arabians’ squad.

Expectations are high, however, for a group of underclassmen who will have to adjust to varsity softball in a hurry. Juniors Shawn Hoskins (first base), Casie Morlock (third base), Kaitlyn Livesay (outfield), Elizabeth Perry (outfield), and sophomore Jamie Hubble are expected to jump into the starting lineup right away.

When asked who was an underclassman to watch this season, Myers and Held agreed on Hubble. Hall didn’t disagree, but he said it will take the sophomore time to get going considering she just finished her basketball season two weeks ago.

It was Hubble who hit the game-winning shot to beat Lafayette Jeff in the regional semifinal.

“She’s an athlete, you know. She had a great year for the basketball team and I think she will be a real big contributor for us this year.”