Kent State senior guard Jenna Batsch was arguably the most improved player in the Mid-American Conference last season. The 6-2, Loveland, Ohio native averaged 13.3 points per game, which ranked 9th in the league, she started all 32 games and earned All-MAC Third Team honors.
Batsch, an exercise science major, was a double figure scorer in 24 games, and scored 13 points in the NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame.
As a junior in 2022-2023, Batsch had a lesser role, averaging 3.1 points per game in 30 games, all off the bench.
Kent State Head Coach Todd Starkey said it’s a credit to all the hard work Batsch put in, as well as the player development program at Kent.
“Well she worked really hard,” Starkey said on The Field of 68 Media Day program last week. “A lot of People don’t see that progression, “oh all of a sudden she’s this great player”, but it really was two years of preparation. She battled some things her first couple years to get to that point. She spent a lot of time in the gym. Our assistant coaches have done a great job with player development and then she just needed the opportunity.”
“It was great to see how her confidence continued to grow as she went through last season and she, given the opportunity she took it and ran with it, has done an awesome job and we’re really excited to see what she can do, now in her senior year.”
It would have been easy for Batsch to hit the transfer portal after the lesser role she had as a senior. But it’s a credit to her, the culture created at Kent State, the retention part, and the player development of the staff. She stayed, she thrived, and the team won.
Defense is where Batsch really made her mark last season, often tasked with the assignment of the other team’s best perimeter player. Batsch used her defense to get her going last season.
“I try to focus defensively because I know the offense is going to come throughout the game but defense is something that is all effort based so I try to start there and really focus on defensive stops and rebounding,” Batsch said on The Field of 68. “Last year I was often guarding the other team’s best player so that was a huge focus for me was just stopping them and keeping them under control and I knew that the offense would kind of follow after that.”
With the graduation of Katie Shumate who is now playing professionally, even more will be asked of Batsch from a production and leadership standpoint, now in her senior year.
With high expectations and a perceived target on their back this season, Batsch is confident in the new version of the Golden Flashes.
“I’m very confident in what we have coming back and we’ve also gained some very good players and some transfers so I’m really excited to see, and I don’t think that we’ll fall off really at all” she said. “I know people think that we will but I have high expectations for this team and I think we’ll be just fine.”
WHITE OUT: Kent State opens up the season this Monday, November 4 as the team welcomes in James Madison in the first round of the MAC/SunBelt Challenge. All fans in attendance will receive a replica white Kent State jersey. The full promotional schedule is here.
DUKES PREVIEW: James Madison was picked to win the Sun Belt this season in the league announced poll released October 14. In addition, guard Peyton McDaniel was picked as preseason Player of the Year. The Dukes, who have appeared in the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship final in the last two seasons, received 12 first-place votes and 191 points to be named league favorites.