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Shocker softball starts on Feb. 7, so we grabbed assistant coach Easton Herring and third baseman Krystin Nelson for updates.

Nelson reveals the team's best pickleball player and other team-building activities used by coaches. She details why she loves playing defense and how a conversation with coach Kristi Bredbenner early last season in Arkansas helped her hitting. Herring updates us on the recruiting class, construction on the workout facility next to Wilkins Stadium and an early look at possible lineups.
 

Herring is in his second season as a softball assistant. Nelson, from La Porte, Texas, is a three-year starter at third. Last season, she hit .311 (.403 in conference play) with nine doubles and walked more times than she struck out. She was an All-America Scholar-Athlete and a member of the AAC All-Academic team in 2024.

WSU opens the season on Feb. 7 vs. Northern Illinois in Phoenix. It also plays Grand Canyon, Colgate and Montana over that weekend.