Longtime Pacific softball coach Brian Kolze knows his team probably cannot lean on the longball this season.
But Kolze and his players are not seeing that as a bad thing.
Pacific, which graduated sluggers Sydney Lahners and Rachel Sellers and lost hard-hitting shortstop Samantha Owen via transfer to Nebraska, is attempting to become a versatile, run-manufacturing machine.
The Tigers open their season today at the Cal State Fullerton Classic in Southern California. Pacific faces Buffalo at 10 a.m. and Northwestern at 12:30 p.m.
While Pacific finished 9-6 in West Coast Conference play last year, they were 20-27 overall and suffered through two seven-game losing streaks and one six-game skid.