Midway, Ky. -- The Midway University women's basketball team gets their 2017-18 campaign underway on Wednesday, October 25, when they take on University of Michigan-Dearborn as part of their trip to the Great Lakes State.
Midway will battle the Wolverines on Wednesday night with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. ET. The Eagles will wrap up their trip to Michigan on Friday, October 27, when they take on Concordia University – Ann Arbor at 7 p.m. ET.
"We are really excited to get our season underway," said head coach, John Kenger. "This group had done an amazing job of working hard and really doing to the little things that we need to do to be as successful as we can be."
Kenger added, "Everyone knows that we are going to have to earn everything we get."
Kenger is entering his third season as head of the program and is coming off one of the greatest turnarounds in NAIA history. Midway went 22-10 last season leading to Kenger being named River States Conference Coach of the Year.
The Eagles have been practicing for a couple of weeks and as Kenger notes his team has experienced what every team goes through in preseason. "We've had our highs and lows in our practices thus far," noted Kenger.
"The girls have been working hard and putting the time in; they have started to buy into the concepts and ideas that we're putting in this year."
Midway returns 10 players from last year's squad with seven players that saw meaningful minutes. Kenger noted that he is going to be looking for them to carry on the work ethic and make sure everyone is on the same page.
"The big thing is they know what to expect from us and what we are trying to accomplish," Kenger said. "It's big having that many returners knowing that they are going to carry on the work ethic and make sure we're all on the same page."
Midway will also turn to their five seniors to provide leadership and help mentor the younger players. This year's senior class includes: Jaylin Jones (Russellville, Ky.), Jessica Rice (Lawrenceburg, Ky.), Patrice Tonge (Lebanon, Ky.), Rachel Carter (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Courtney Pfister (Mt. Washington, Ky.).
"We've got a great senior class," added Kenger. "They have been great mentoring the younger players and they know what to expect from us."
Kenger and his staff also brought in a number of players to boost a roster of 24 that includes five seniors, four juniors, eight sophomores and seven freshman. Unfortunately Midway did lose Jasmine Johnson, Breanna Ball and Libby Pike to graduation.
"I thought we brought in a great recruiting class to compliment what we already had here," Kenger noted. "Losing the three from last year definitely leaves a little bit of an empty spot, but we were fortunate enough to bring in some good young talent to help fill the void."
Kenger and his team will not only be forced to fill the void that the three seniors left, but they will also be facing a challenging schedule. The slate features one team in the NAIA D-I rankings and three teams in the NAIA D-II rankings including two-time defending National Champion, Marian (Ind.).
"We're really looking to challenge ourselves this year," said Kenger. "We're looking to put ourselves in different situations that will help prepare us when conference kicks off."
Kenger added, "We appreciate all the fan support, we're looking for the same type of crowd that we had last year as we look forward to another great year."
After returning from their trip from Michigan, Midway will have a week off before hosting Cincinnati-Clermont (Ohio) in their home opener on Friday, November 3, at 5:30 p.m. ET inside Marshall Gymnasium.
Follow Midway Eagles Athletics
