San Francisco, CA -- Academy of Art University softball has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past three years, but they are hungry for more. In fact, they are hungry to be the best. With many players who have years of experience under their belts and, through extensive training in the fall, the Urban Knights are making their number one priority to capture a Pacific West Conference Championship in 2012. Head coach Rachel Sherman returns for her fourth season at ART U's helm with the utmost confidence in this team's ability to achieve that goal.

“This year's team is special,” Coach Sherman said. “Because of the hard work and preparation put in over the last five months, the team is very confident in themselves and in each other. This year, you will see much more of a "team" on the field with more confidence. The goal is to make things look easy this season because of the work we put in this fall.”

When the final out of the 2010-11 year was made last May, the Urban Knights had wrapped up a memorable third season in program history. Academy of Art, who finished fifth in the PacWest in 2010, moved up to fourth overall in 2011. Among the highlights that year was a seven-game win streak which began in the Desert Stinger Tournament, an 8-0 victory over eventual PacWest champions Hawaii Pacific (then ranked No. 7), and a grueling 10-inning come-from-behind victory over Grand Canyon in the season finale.

The past, however, can only take you so far. This year, ART U takes the field for the first time on Feb. 1 against Cal State East Bay, beginning a 2012 schedule composed of several challenging stretches. Soon after their home opener, the Urban Knights travel to Las Vegas, NV for the Montana State-Billings Desert Stinger where they will play five games in three days. Then, the start of PacWest Conference play comes in early March when Academy of Art has an eight-game homestand. Mid-March features the team's first Hawaii roadtrip in the past two seasons and includes roughly one fourth of the season's contests. ART U plays five more doubleheaders all at Mission Blue Field to close out the year

“We are looking forward to Feb. 1 because that will be the start to it all,” Coach Sherman said. “It is hard for me to pick a key stretch in the season, because every game is key to us. We want to focus on one game at a time and one opponent at a time rather than looking ahead to one specific opponent and letting others slip by us.”

With 11 players returning to this year's team, Academy of Art fields an experienced lineup. Those Urban Knights suiting up once again in 2012 will be seniors Ashley Lokey, Genna Allen, and Melissa Coe along with a large junior class of Julie Martin, Jayme Stewart, Alyssa Hickey, Kimberly Dauer, Andrea Hanchey, and Nicole Smith. Joining the upperclassmen will be sophomores Lauren Stover and Elyse Cordova.

“We have a great group of returners and are expecting big things out of all of them,” Coach Sherman said. “They have all come back with one thing in mind, 'What can I do for the team in order to win a PacWest Championship?' We are very excited about every returner and what they bring to the table.”

Highlighting a dynamic outfield, Ashley Lokey enters her senior season two years removed from a monster 2010 campaign where she led the Knights in virtually every offensive category with a .466 batting average (1st in PacWest), 48 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases. Elyse Cordova, an All-PacWest Second Team and All-West Region Second Team selection in 2011, looks to build on an exciting freshman season in which she led the team with a .393 batting average and 18 stolen bases.

“Ashley Lokey will be back on the field and anchoring our outfield and our lineup with more confidence than ever,” Coach Sherman said. “The whole team looks to her to get things started and we believe she will do that almost every at-bat because, in our eyes, she is the toughest out in the PacWest. Elyse Cordova returns with more confidence, physical, and mental strength following an already successful freshman campaign.”

Closer to home plate, the ART U infield returns several key starters from 2011 including shortstop Genna Allen, catcher Jayme Stewart, and third baseman Andrea Hanchey. Allen started all 49 games last year and showed off her tools by cracking seven home runs and swiping 17 bases. A powerful hitter and hard-working defender, Stewart enjoyed a complete 2011 season where she earned All-PacWest Second Team honors after hitting .345 and leading the squad with eight home runs as well as 40 runs batted in. Hanchey may fill in for Stewart as a catcher at times this year and she remains as consistent as they come. Competing in all but one game in 2011, Hanchey was as one of seven Urban Knights who hit over .300 last year.

“Genna Allen has come back stronger than ever and will be our staple in the infield at shortstop,” Coach Sherman said. “The amount of growth Genna has seen in a year is outrageous. She has been able to gain more arm strength and power at the plate while continuing to have great speed on the bases and has developed into a great leader for our team. Jayme Stewart's presence has been very important to our team's success in the past and will be even more of a factor this year with seeing more time at first base when not catching. Andrea Hanchey has developed into a threat behind the plate with great arm strength and passion for the game.”

On the mound, Kimberly Dauer returns for her junior season after appearing in 21 games last year. She picked up seven wins in 12 starts, throwing just under 70.0 innings for ART U. Having gone through two years in the Knights' rotation, Dauer will surely provide guidance to the three other pitchers suiting up this year, all of whom are freshmen.

“Kim Dauer is determined to have a great junior year and has proved to be the leader of our pitching staff,” Coach Sherman said. “We couldn't be more excited to see her in that role.”

Composing the freshman class this year are outfielder Haily MacDonald (Santa Rosa, CA), pitcher Kristin Valdivia (Chula Vista, CA), pitcher/infielder Kamyle Glover (Los Angeles, CA), pitcher/outfielder Brookelinn Beatty (Kahuku, HI), and infielder Taylor Thurman (Lake Forest, CA).

MacDonald was the stolen base leader at Ursuline High School all four years there. Valdivia, a four-year starting pitcher, captured All-League honors throughout her time at East Lake High School. Glover broke out with an MVP season her sophomore season at Mira Costa High School and continued to succeed, finishing as a four-year starter and scholar athlete. Beatty brings not only a Hawaiian flavor to the 2012 Urban Knights, but also a left arm which at one point helped carry her Kahuku High School team to second place in the Hawaii State Tournament. Thurman, also a four-year starter at Trabuco Hills High School, earned First Team All-League honors her final two seasons there.

“Our freshman class has blended right in with the vision of the team and program,” Coach Sherman said. “Taylor Thurman will hold down the hot corner for us and, after already turning heads this fall, she has only gotten better since. Kristin Valdivia's work ethic has proven to help her develop quickly on the mound and will continue to help her make an impact on our staff and in the PacWest. Each of the freshmen has worked very hard and will be great assets to our program.”

All Urban Knights will unite in the beginning of their hunt for a PacWest title this February. Much has transpired during Academy of Art University softball's three-year history, but one thing has remained constant: A determination to be the best.

“Since Day One, our goal has been to win a PacWest Championship,” Coach Sherman said. “This is the first year I believe every single player is on board with that. I am honored to have such a good group of women to coach and be around every day who not only work their butts off, but have fun while doing it. The mindset of the team from Year One to Year Four is completely different. We truly are a TEAM where everyone wants the best for one another and that is why we will succeed.”

What does the future hold for ART U Softball? Find out when the season's first pitch is thrown on Feb. 1 at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane, CA.