The Blue Mountain Community College softball team is gearing up to start its 2022 spring season under the direction of new head coach Ben Knopf and a lineup of 12 new players.

PENDLETON — Ben Knopf’s first year as head softball coach at Blue Mountain Community College has been anything but conventional.

Knopf was hired in July to take over a program that did not have a season the previous year. He needed to build a roster that had nearly no returners on it.

“I was on the recruiting trail two days after being hired and brought in 12 players in about 40 days,” Knopf said. “I was very open and upfront, and just told them that we needed athletes. We just had a conversation.”

It is a job he continues to do today, building the team’s strength and depth for seasons to come.

Knopf may be new to this job, but he brings plenty of softball coaching experience with him having most recently worked as an assistant coach in Bottineau, North Dakota. He also had stops at Bend High School, Eastern Oregon University and 10 years coaching travel ball.

The Timberwolves have one returning player on the team, sophomore infielder Ariana Knight, and she is joined by transfer Jaycee Jerome. Knopf also lost a pitcher after she transferred to a Division I school. The roster is completed by 11 freshmen.

There are a lot of new faces, but they did get a chance to get used to each other during the fall when they split eight games.

Knopf has been pleased with the team’s dedication to prepare for the season that begins March 4 with a pair of home games against Clackamas. The Timberwolves’ first eight games are all scheduled to take place in Pendleton.

Knopf said his team needs to continue to make progress in all areas, but pitch selection and running on the basepaths will be key.

Even with the progress made in the fall, there were more challenges that followed. Knopf left the team after the fall to deal with a personal matter, and the pandemic has made it difficult to practice. Players have missed time dealing with COVID-19 as has Knopf, who tested positive in late January.

“Building that trust and making those relationships is important,” Knopf said. “We have been practicing since the beginning of the winter term, but it has been hit and miss because of COVID-19.

“Early on, I gave the girls a bucket of balls and just told them they had to get their cuts in on their own. We were just trying to be proactive and adjusting on the fly.”

Knopf has had to put it on his players to work on their fundamentals and continue to improve their game as they can.

Knopf has a two- to three-year plan, but believes the Timberwolves can sneak up on teams this year who may underestimate the new group. With so many new faces, everyone will get a chance to make their mark, including a pair of pitchers in Jamisin Manzanares and Elizabeth Tuholski.

Success will not be measured by wins and losses, but how much the team grows throughout the season and comes together as a group, Knopf said.

Knopf believes the biggest success for the Timberwolves this season is just having the opportunity to get back on the diamond.

“A lot of these girls were in high school during COVID, so they missed that season,” he said. “Everybody has been itching for normalcy, and I think softball kind of represents that. If we can get out there and play as many games as possible it is going to bring some peace of mind to the team, school and community.”