CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The preview of Western Carolina's 2025 softball season preview starts with the battery – the pitchers in the circle and the catchers behind the dish.
WCU softball's pitching staff features a pair of returners along with three new faces to begin the 2025 campaign. Head coach Jim Clift looks to lean heavily on his senior ace Tessa Juett (Berea, Ky.) as she tries to etch her name in the upper tiers of the WCU softball program record book.
Juett is joined by returning classmate Makenzie Martin (Seneca, S.C.) and a trio of newcomers to the Catamount family in sophomore transfer Riley Pennington (Mount Airy, N.C.) from Presbyterian and freshmen AG Batson (Six Mile, S.C.) and Amanda Fulton (Woodstock, Ga.).
On the receiving end, WCU returns a pair of catchers from last year's squad in senior Mattie Mentel and junior Taylor Waitley, both of whom are expected to see most of the time behind the dish.
Catamount Pitching Staff:
Juett returns after a strong 2024 season that saw her garner NFCA All-Region honors for her work both in the circle and at the dish. She finished with 14 wins and 159 strikeouts in the circle and a .326 batting average for the left-hander. She also received All-Southern Conference honors and SoCon All-Tournament team accolades following the 2024 season.
She enters this season ranked fourth in WCU's career record books with both 27 wins and 63 starts, is third in innings pitched at 398.0, and ranks sixth with 321 career strikeouts as she became the sixth pitcher in program history to eclipse 300 strikeouts in her time in Cullowhee last year.
The lone other returner in the circle for WCU in 2025 is Martin who looks to build off her finish to last season. She tossed 9.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs with a pair of strikeouts in tallying the win in the SoCon Tournament opener against chromatic rival Furman. Martin is a veteran in the Catamount purple and gold, totaling 59 career appearances including 27 starts over her three prior seasons in Cullowhee.
The first of a trio of new faces for Clift and Co., is Riley Pennington, a Presbyterian transfer who played as a freshman for the Blue Hose. In her limited work in the circle during her debut season, Pennington appeared in four games including a nonconference matchup against WCU along with matchups against Youngstown State, Georgia Southern and Purdue Fort Wayne.
Pennington prepped at East Surry High in Pilot Mountain, N.C., where she was a three-time all-conference honoree, twice named All-District, and was an all-state representative. She holds both her high school's career record and single-season records for home runs. In her career, she totaled over 450 strikeouts and held a .493 batting average with a .643 on-base percentage and a 1.643 OPS.
The first freshman to join the 2025 staff is Amanda Fulton from Woodstock, Ga. by way of River Ridge High where she was a prep teammate of reigning co-freshman of the year, Lily Bell. Fulton joins WCU after a successful four-year prep career that saw her finish with 56 wins and over 650 strikeouts with a 1.50 ERA.
During her time at River Ridge, Fulton was a part of four teams that totaled 20 or more wins per season including a region title as a senior. River Ridge advanced to the final four during her junior campaign and finished in third place during her senior year. They also garnered a state runner up during her sophomore season. Fulton broke numerous school records including the single-game program record for strikeouts (21), single-season program strikeout record (264) as a senior on the way to establishing the program's career strikeout mark (677).
The final of the newcomer arms is AG Batson from Six Mile, S.C. by way of D.W. Daniel High in Central, S.C.. Batson was a two-way player as a prep. During her junior season, she hit a strong .391 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs, while also doing damage in the circle with 155 strikeouts in 127.1 innings of work.
Batson earned All-State honors and was the Seneca Journal Player of the Year as a senior. In her junior campaign, DW Daniel High School won district title on home field as Batson appeared in game and helped clinch the district title.
Catamount Catchers:
Western Carolina's duo of veteran catchers includes senior Mattie Mentel and junior Taylor Waitley who are expected to platoon behind the dish on the receiving end.
Mentel enters her final season in Cullowhee with 106 games played including 85 starts. She made 22 of her 35 seasonal starts behind the plate a year ago. The Athens, Ga., product finished 2024 with a career-high .290 batting average including five doubles, a homer, and 13 RBI, while recording seven multi-hit games.
Waitley posted a .253 average in 2024 as she scored 11 runs on 24 hits with 12 runs knocked in over her sophomore season. The Laurinburg, N.C. native had three doubles, a triple, and a memorable first collegiate home run that notched Clift his 250th career win. She posted a .310 batting average in SoCon play with four extra base hits, the third highest mark among returners for WCU.
Western Carolina opens its 2025 season at the River City Leadoff, hosted by North Florida beginning on Friday, Feb. 7. WCU battles both Jacksonville and UNF over a five-game tournament slate. The Catamounts open their home schedule three weeks later with the Catamount Classic, hosting North Carolina A&T and Presbyterian in tournament action in Cullowhee.
Admission to WCU's home games at the on-campus Catamount Softball Complex throughout the 2025 season is free of charge, courtesy of First Bank.
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