KINGSTON, R.I. - With a trio of southpaws leading the way, Rhode Island has a veteran pitching staff in place for the 2026 season. The Rams return six pitchers total who accounted for more than 80 percent of the innings pitched for the team last Spring.

Senior Ashley Hibbard, junior Avery Vale-Cruz and sophomore Brooke Gerry each hurled more than 60 innings last season. All three lefties, Hibbard, Cruz and Gerry combined for 70 appearances and 36 starts a year ago. Junior Sarah Trosin made a significant impact as well, throwing 21.0 innings over 17 appearances in her first season.

"Obviously that is the group that will get the bulk of the innings, but we want to bring along the other pitchers and get them more work," Rhode Island head coach Mike Coutts said. "The big thing with Ashley that a lot of people didn't realize was that she was hurt just about all of last season. She wanted to compete and be there for the team. Ashley feels really good heading into the season."

Hibbard has been a fixture in the rotation since she arrived as a freshman. A team captain, she has a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio, recording 153 strikeouts and 89 walks for her career.

After being limited as a freshman due to injury, Vale-Cruz impressed in her second season. She posted a 6-5 record with five complete games last season, recording 93 strikeouts and just 38 walks in a team-high 96.2 innings of work.

"Avery came out of her shell last year," Coutts said. "She is going to compete her butt off every time out there. She competes with a bit of edge."

Gerry was solid in her freshman season, throwing three complete games in six starts. Coutts credited Gerry with working hard on her overall understanding of the game.

" Brooke had a lot of growth in terms of her mental game," Coutts said. "As a freshman, she had some flashes of brilliance and there were times where she struggled a little bit. But I give her a lot of credit for her growth on the mental side of the game. Based on how she approached the Fall, I think she'll be able to have a lot more consistency this season."

Trosin was effective in relief for Rhode Island, seeing more work as the season moved along. She pitched 21.0 innings over 17 appearances.

"Sarah tends to throw a lot of strikes and really competes, so she will throw a lot," Coutts said.

Senior Lauren Wasikowski and junior Ashley Arnold each made five appearances last season and will get the chance for more time this year. Wasikowski had a strong Fall season that caused the coaching staff to take notice, while Arnold was limited by injury last season and has worked hard to recovery. Freshman Olivia Kuhnel out of Aliso Viejo, Calif. rounds out the staff.

"We would love to get 25 to 30 innings from Lauren this season. That would be a great thing for the program," Coutts said. "Lauren worked hard throughout the summer to get healthier and stronger, and it showed. She had a very good Fall season because she was healthy."  

Arnold is working back from injury that limited her a year ago, while Kuhnel was slowed out of the gate by injury at the start of the Fall.

"Ashley Arnold was hurt last year and has been working hard to get back so she can pitch more this season," Coutts said. "We have a lot of midweek games this season, so we will be looking for contributions from the entire pitching staff. We want to keep our weekend pitchers ready to go without having to rely on them as heavily in the middle of the week.

"I have always believed that we should have a full pitching staff. That is the goal going into the season. How each person develops and succeeds will determine just how deep that staff is. We want to give them all the opportunity, and we want them to be successful. That just makes the team stronger."

Rhode Island opens the season at the Lion Invitational. Hosted by East Texas A&M, the tournament runs from Feb. 12-14.

Check GoRhody.com on Feb. 3 for a look at the team's catchers.