Dan Harms will begin his first year as head coach of the Albert Lea softball team with a bevy of returners with experience and a chance to improve on a 4-18 record from last season.

Harms spent the last four years as an assistant coach with the softball team and has nine seniors returning this spring and seven who started on the varsity squad last season.

Among the top returners include seniors Lauren Klick and Kristine Kelly. Both hit over .300 last season with Klick batting .391 and Kelly .371. Both drove in more than 10 runs and provided a spark at the top of Albert Lea’s lineup.

Kelly is hoping she can duplicate her success at the plate, which came as a surprise to her last season. As a sophomore she hit .231, but found her stroke last season and gave the Tigers a strong bridge between leadoff hitter Jenna Christensen and Klick, the No. 3 hitter.

Albert Lea also expects to play more competitively in the conference this season after the Tigers won just one game, but first they must fill Christensen’s shortstop position, replace Katie Schou at first base and Laura Gaudian in left field. The good news for Albert Lea is seniors Kim Nelson and Sarah Heijerman split time in right field last season and one can move to left field. Finding replacements at first base may prove more difficult, but the most glaring obstacle remains finding a shortstop.

C — Courtney Schnaith, senior

P — Lana Howe, senior

2B — Kristine Kelly, senior

3B — Caylee Tennis, senior

OF — Lauren Klick, senior

OF — Sarah Heijerman, senior

OF — Kim Nelson, senior

“We’re not sure what we’re going to do there yet,” said Harms, who has contemplated several scenarios for the position. “There’s no reason with this team that — piece those holes we talked about — this team can go .500.”

The lone conference victory for the Tigers last season can be misleading because Albert Lea was involved in a handful of close conference games last season. Five times last season the Tigers lost leads and lost three extra-inning games.

Albert Lea lost in extra innings to Rochester Century, Rochester Mayo and Winona last season.

If Albert Lea can turn around those games this season, finding more than four wins in a season for the first time in two seasons could become reality.

Last season the Tigers had to replace its battery, but this season both catcher Courtney Schnaith and pitcher Lana Howe return. Their experience should help this season and Harms said Howe’s control has improved since last season.

“She’s trying to mix in a changeup there and get a little better control of that because she throws hard enough to keep them off balance,” Harms said.

One change Harms expects to make with the team will be bunting. Harms, a long-time softball player who relies on bunting, expects the Tigers to bunt more this season.

“I’m more of a short game (guy),” Harms said. “Like I told the girls we’re going to be bunting and keeping that defense on its toes. We’ll keep the corners busy.”

Albert Lea begins the season April 8 with Mayo in Rochester.