More than half of Burlinton-Edison’s fastpitch squad will return this season as the team is looking to reach state for the third consecutive year, and the group is looking to add a number of younger players into the mix this spring.

“They all want to get back to state,” Burlington-Edison coach Darcy Taylor said. “Every year we want to progress and get better. We want to put Burlington on the map and bring pride to our fastpitch team.”

If the Tigers want to continue their state trend, they will need to have productive seasons out of their returning players. Senior Ariel Erlenbach will again pitch and play infield for the team. Joining Erlenbach on the mound will be sophomore returnee Lindsey Dawson.

On the field, juniors Rachelle Berry (first base), Amy Entrikin (short stop) and Jasmine Rigelman (catcher) will all be back for Burlington-Edison, with new-to-varsity junior Ashlynn Ishikawa stepping into a starting role in the outfield.

“She went to state with us the last two years and has been on the verge of varsity for a while,” Taylor said.

The team has an abundance of young players that could fill multiple roles on the team.

Sophomore Jenny Corning and freshman Holly Bradley should see some time in the outfield and freshman Samm Alex could be used in both the outfield and infield, the coach said. Jessica Tingley — another freshman — could see time at third base and catcher, while seniors Brittany Alexander and Stevie Robison are both utility players that could give the Tigers depth.

“They’re all pretty athletic, so hopefully we can throw them in and they’ll be successful,” Taylor said.

Gone from last year’s team are pitcher Anna Corpolongo, shortstop Caitlin Dotlich, second baseman Katie Demme, first baseman Erika Browning and outfielder Amy Hjelt.

Four of those girls had been on the team since they were freshmen.

“It’s always tough to fill those shoes,” Taylor said. “It’s obviously a different dynamic with this group and it’s always fun to see who’s going to fill those roles.”