Arrocha Ballpark proved to be a little bit like chicken soup for a cold.

Kansas University’s new softball stadium clearly didn’t help the Jayhawks’ offensive attack, but the first-year facility probably didn’t really hurt the hitting, either.

“Who knows? It’s hard to say,” KU coach Tracy Bunge said. “I just think we weren’t very good at the plate.”

Kansas’ team batting average was a paltry .205 — the lowest since record-keeping began in 1979 — but solid pitching by senior Kara Pierce and freshman Kassie Humphreys helped the Jayhawks fashion a winning season (33-28-1).

Only a couple of KU players posted higher batting averages than the year before, when the team BA wasn’t much better at .218.

Shortstop Destiny Frankenstein boosted her average from .214 as a freshman to a team-leading .263 this spring, and left fielder Heather Stanley, another sophomore, climbed from .213 to .243.

Otherwise, just about everybody else tailed off, notably second baseman Jessica Moppin, who hit .266 as a freshman with 11 home runs but only .193 with three homers this spring.

“I think she just had an off year,” Bunge said of Moppin, an Olathe South High product. “It’s not because she didn’t work. She spent extra time doing the things she needs to do, but we need to work on getting her swing straightened out.”

Of the six seniors who completed their eligibility, the hardest to replace probably will be Pierce, who won 69 games during her four-year career, including 19 this spring.

Pierce’s likely replacement is Christina Ross, a left-hander from Santa Clarita, Calif., who is regarded as one of the top prospects in Southern California.

Kansas University pitcher Kara Pierce winds up for a pitch in a game earlier this season. Pierce, who won 19 games this spring, was one of six seniors on the Jayhawks' roster in 2004.

“She’s not real big, but she has lots of experience,” Bunge said of Ross, who posted a 35-5 won-lost record and an 0.27 record as a junior at Valencia High.

Bunge is also hoping for a full recovery from Serena Settlemier, who sat out the 2003 season because of an arm injury and pitched sparingly this spring with a metal plate in her right forearm. The plate is scheduled to come out this summer.

If Settlemier returns to form and Ross is as good as Bunge thinks, the Jayhawks will have two quality hurlers to go with Humphreys, a touted recruit who didn’t disappoint as a freshman. Humphreys’ record was a so-so 14-12, but her earned-run average was a glossy 1.57, and she tossed a pair of shutouts at Big 12 Conference champion Nebraska.

Two incoming freshmen — outfielders Jackie Vasquez and Cyndi Duran — have the potential to upgrade the offense in 2005. Vasquez and Duran possess two qualities KU lacked.

“Both bat left, and both are fast,” Bunge said. “Cyndi is quick, but Jackie is a rabbit. They’ll give us the speed at the top of the lineup we haven’t had.”

The two newcomers also loom as the Jayhawks’ only southpaw swingers. Bunge had only one left-handed hitter this spring in senior catcher Dani May.

May’s spot behind the plate probably will be filled by Elle Pottorf, a right-handed hitting catcher from Washburn Rural. An all-stater in 2003, Pottorf has missed most of her senior season because of an injury.

“She’s a gap power-hitter,” Bunge said of Pottorf. “I picture her in a 3-6 spot in the lineup. She hits the ball a ton, and she has a strong arm.”

Nicole Washburn, the Jayhawks’ second-leading hitter (.246), had a solid freshman year at first base.

“She has a ton of potential,” Bunge said.

The biggest question mark is third base, where departing senior Sandy Smith (.161) and soph Nettie Fierros (.124) made too many outs. Fierros hit .247 as a freshman and, said Bunge, “She needs to bounce back.”