Ashbaugh coming home to play for WNC Wildcats

The Western Nevada College softball team’s bullpen just got stronger. Carson High School grad Lindsey Ashbaugh, who played softball at Feather River College in California last year, is coming home to pitch for the Wildcats in 2014.

Head coach Leah Wentworth said the right-hander gives the Wildcats an experienced and proven college pitcher to complement another established sophomore, Carlee Beck, and three freshmen hurlers.

“It’s nice to have someone with maturity at this level. It takes some time to adjust to the next level,” Wentworth said.

Last season, Ashbaugh helped Feather River finish second in the Golden Valley Conference and advance to the regional tournament. She posted a 9-11 record, with 12 complete games and a 3.88 earned run average in 22 starts and 119 innings pitched.

The GVC recognized Ashbaugh by selecting her to second-team all-conference. She finished third in the conference in victories, fourth in earned run average, and her two shutouts ranked her third.

Wentworth said Ashbaugh has already shown promise during the fall scrimmage season. In a recent trip, Ashbaugh tossed five scoreless innings against Weber State, an NCAA Division I program.

“We really got to see what she was capable of. We knew she had the ability to throw like that, and it was really exciting for our coaches to see that,” Wentworth said.

In limited plate appearances for Feather River last year, Ashbaugh stroked three doubles, knocked in three runs, walked four times and scored six runs.

At Carson High School, Ashbaugh earned 2012 Northern 4A Region first-team honors and 2011 All-Sierra League second-team recognition.