IRVINE, CA --- A year removed from posting a nine-game improvement in conference play under then first-year head coach Crystal Rosenthal, Concordia softball starts the 2010 campaign with a bit more of a target on its back and a No. 11 ranking in the NAIA Preseason Poll.

Weather-permitting, the Eagles will start the season with a non-conference tilt at Cal Lutheran tomorrow (Feb. 6) at noon in Thousand Oaks.

The Eagles finished 41-21 last year, including a third-place 15-9 record in Golden State Athletic Conference play, and made their second-ever trip to the NAIA National Championships in Decatur, Ala., where they finished with a 2-1 record in pool play.

Concordia returns 15 players from last year's roster, including its first-ever NAIA All-American, sophomore utility player Katie Carson, and welcomes six newcomers into the fold.

"We have high expectations," Rosenthal, a 2000 CUI alumna, said. "We have a good group of freshmen and we've added some good pitching. We expect to compete to win the conference. Our constant expectation is going to be to compete at the National Tournament every year, and its our goal to make the trip to Decatur a commonplace expectation for this program."

"We're trying to win the conference, and that's what I'm trying to keep putting in front of our players," Rosenthal said. "We don't want to settle for third place anymore, we want to win that conference title."

If Carson's success in 2009 can be approached in her sophomore year, then CUI's road to Decatur could well be navigated in 2010. Carson comes off a season where she hit .444 and set school single-season records with 95 hits, 53 runs, 25 doubles, 33 multi-hit games, and a 20-game hitting streak.

But Carson isn't the Eagles' only weapon returning offensively, by any stretch of the imagination. Concordia returns its top seven hitters in terms of batting average, and barring injuries, has enough top-performing returners to fill every position on the field.

Junior catcher Carly Smith, an All-GSAC selection in as a 2008 freshman, hit .330 with four homers and 28 RBI last year, and is a favorite to split time behind the plate and as the designated player, along with senior catcher Melanie Hansen, a .346 hitter with 25 RBI as a 2009 transfer.

Up the middle, sophomore Lizette Fernandez returns at second base after hitting .271 with four long-balls last season, while sophomore Alyssa Erickson will play on the left side of the infield after hitting .278 and driving in a team-high 37 RBI as a freshman.

Also in the mix in the Eagle infield is freshman Shainna Groom, who is transitioning to the infield after patrolling the outfield as a standout prep at Trinity League contender Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

The outfield will be shored up by senior centerfielder Shannon Walton, who hit .271 as a junior and is just four RBI away from becoming the fifth player in school history to drive in 100 runs in her career.

Sophomores Ashlee Leon and Alicia Lucatero will be in the mix for playing time in the outfield after hitting .300 and .318, respectively, as freshmen, and fellow sophomore Jennifer Simons could fill in at any position on the diamond after hitting .327 with a team-high five bombs last year.

"My problem this year is that I have too many good hitters," Rosenthal said. "What we're trying to focus on is doing the little things right and let the big picture stuff take care of itself. It's nice to have a lot of young players returning in the lineup and there is a possibility of some freshmen starting as well."

Although the Eagles face their biggest loss in the circle with the graduation of Laura Wiens, a stable of freshmen along with Simons and senior right-hander Rachel Reekstin will comprise a much deeper staff than a year ago.

Simons led the team with a 2.50 ERA and went 9-2 with 90 innings pitched as a freshman, while Reekstin is third in school history with 36 career wins after going 14-10 with a 2.69 ERA last year.

The returning duo will be complimented by three key newcomers, including freshmen Courtney Young and Morgan Reiter (pronounced "rye-ter"), a lefty from Central High School in Fresno.

Rosenthal compares Young's velocity to that of 2005 All-GSAC hurler Natalie Brown, who holds eight of 10 career pitching records, including the 81 wins she racked up from 2004-07.

Reiter's left-handedness immediately sets her apart from the crowd, and she was twice named as an all-conference selection in high school.

Junior right-hander Kristen Schlegel is the lone transfer on the team after putting in two seasons at NCAA Div. II Cal State Bakersfield.

"The pitchers on are team are a consummate example of work ethic," Rosenthal said. "They take part of every drill in practice and have a great attitude toward the game. The freshman pitchers have developed a lot quicker than we expected, so our depth is going to be better than we had hoped in the circle."

Looking for a fitting follow-up to last year's sudden turnaround, Rosenthal and her coaching staff that includes former Eagles Ashley Evans (2004-07) and Alex Ariaz (2006-07) and University of Oregon standout Rose Imbriano (1992-95) will need to rely on a combination of youth and experience to succeed as it moves from dark horse to contender in 2010.

"We're coming back hungry this year," Rosenthal said. It's much easier to perform well when nobody expects you to win, but what we've told the team since the first day in the fall is that it's going to be much tougher to win this year, now that there are expectations."

"I am really looking forward to this season," Rosenthal said. "This is a great group of girls in terms of their work ethic and drive. They made a committment from the start of the fall to work toward improvement every day, and that's all you can ask for as a coach."