The Miami University RedHawks softball program embarked on its 2025 season under new head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate last week.
The RedHawks traveled west to Tempe, Arizona for the Kajikawa Classic. They played the Arizona State University Sun Devils twice and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, the University of Maryland Terrapins and the University of Utah Utes all once.
Miami came away with one win through the five-game tournament, a 12-4 victory over the Sun Devils in the second matchup.
The 1-4 start to the season isn’t optimal, but Gardner-Colegate said the weekend allowed the RedHawks to get adjusted and prepare them for the rest of the season.
“I was really pleasantly surprised by how well we competed, especially against the teams we did,” Gardner-Colegate said. “We were in every single game. Some late mistakes kind of bit us in the butt, but I think it makes us better.”
The weekend also provided an opportunity for the new RedHawks, including five transfers and five first years, to welcome themselves to Miami softball.
During the offseason, the new coaching staff relied heavily on last season’s returners to get the newcomers adapted to Miami. Gardner-Colegate described the team as “player-led,” and the RedHawks’ player culture needed to be instilled by those who already understood Miami.
Sophomore pitcher Madilyn Reeves said this process included acknowledging the losses from last year and identifying how the new faces can fill those holes.
“Towards the end of last year, we knew we were losing a lot of people,” Reeves said. “But with [the transfers and first years], I think we had to trust what they were bringing in and know that we’re obviously going to keep a really good program. There’s nothing we can do about the people that we’re losing. You just have to work really hard to fill the gaps.”
The RedHawks boasted two players who led the nation in homeruns: Karli Spaid and Jenna Golembiewski. With the absence of Spaid, as well as Holly Blaska and Kate Kobayashi, the team shifted its focus to the defense.
Gardner-Colegate highlighted assistant coach Emerald Doria’s work with practicing the team’s defense and acknowledged that the team won’t immediately replicate last season’s hitting power.
“With Emerald, I think she’s done a great job teaching defensive skill work,” Gardner-Colegate said. “We knew this year we would have to be a little bit sharper on defense, and I think she’s done a good job at making them understand the true way to feel the ground ball and what that should look like.”
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With new and returning faces around the diamond, the RedHawks began their 2025 campaign with a game against the Maryland University Terrapins.
Maryland led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the RedHawks shifted the advantage with two runs from Shelby Kunkel and Jenna Golembiewski on one play. However, the Terrapins adjusted and scored three runs in the seventh inning, giving Miami its first loss.
In the first Arizona State matchup, the Sun Devils finished a 15-7 beatdown of the RedHawks in five innings. The undesired results for Miami continued against the Golden Gophers, as the RedHawks fell in extra innings 4-3.
Miami rematched with the Sun Devils for its first win, which saw the RedHawks score 12 runs while holding Arizona State to four. However, the RedHawks dropped their final matchup against Utah in extra innings. The Utes came out on top 7-6 after Miami led 3-1 early in the game.
Gardner-Colegate acknowledged the RedHawks’ mistakes on the season, but she said the team showcased several positives that will prove to be beneficial going forward.
Four RedHawks recorded home runs on the weekend, with first-year infielder Holly Merritt hitting her first collegiate one.
“It felt amazing,” Merritt said. “When I hit it, I thought it was a fly out to the center fielder, but it just kept going and going. As I was rounding first, I saw that it went out and I was ecstatic. I was so happy.”
Gardner-Colegate also highlighted Reeves’ pitching on the weekend. Following their victory over the Sun Devils on Saturday night, where Reeves pitched seven innings, she returned to the mound the next morning against Utah and pitched nine innings.
“Their coaches even told me, they’re like, ‘She’s a dog,’” Gardner-Colegate said. “That just sums up our team right there. Not once did we hear about them being tired. They were ready to go.”
The RedHawks’ next matchups at the Carolina Classic includes two games against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, who won all five of their games last week.
Gardner-Colegate isn’t threatened by these games and looks forward to the non-conference slate. She said that the RedHawks need to clean up some mistakes, but once conference play begins in March, the team will be a “well-oiled machine.”
“These are the type of teams that are in regionals that we’re going to face,” Gardner-Colegate said. “The more we can get comfortable with that, the better. It was really cool to see us compete against some of the best teams in the country.”
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