April 27, 2008...4:43 am
Softball: What the UNO wins mean
If you were at the softball games this past week, you saw a different team then what anyone has seen in the last couple of years. Somehow, someway, USD was able to sweep the 11th ranked team in the nation in Nebraska-Omaha. Then on Thursday, the Coyotes were able to take one out of two against Augustana.
This isn’t normal for the Coyote softball team. After the volleyball team went on their run this year, it made the softball program the lowest of the low for all of the programs. This year wasn’t off to a great start for interim head coach’s Amy Klyse. If she wanted to prove she is the person for the job now was the time.
The team then showed some life at the right time. They beat UNO 2-1 and 5-3 for their first sweep ever against the Mavericks. Then the team came back from five runs down to take the first game against Augie. Granted Augie held off a late USD comeback to win the second game.
The three wins this week gave the Coyotes a 6-6 record in conference play. I couldn’t find the last time the Coyotes were .500 in the conference. The stats only go back to 1999 by the way. The wins also locked up a third place finish for the Coyotes. THIRD PLACE! If you have seen this team over the past couple of years, that comes as a surprise.
This sets the Coyotes up for a good seed in the NCC tournament. The wins over UNO also puts the NCC on notice that the Coyotes might be putting it together and have found the confidence to win the tight games against good to great teams.
The pitching for the Coyotes is very solid. Sophomore Brittany Donohue has been downright nasty and shut down UNO on Tuesday, and freshman Courtney Heim is developing into a solid pitcher. Mel Johnson and Tagney Jones have also thrown quality innings. What team in the conference can match the depth the Coyotes have? Basically, none.
The problem for the Coyotes has been their offense, but they have started to right the ship a bit. Before the four games this week, the Coyotes had a .215 average AS A TEAM. Minnesota Twins fans call that Nick Punto-ish. But in four games this week, the team is now batting .225. Yeah, it doesn’t looks stylish, but they raised the team average ten points in a week. I will take the improvement and the team will as well.
Tagney Jones and Krystal Kirwan have been the constants of the Coyote lineup for the last couple of years, and this year is no different. After a slow start, Abby Poulter is hitting well as well. Other players who have stepped up are Shara Thompson, Mel Johnson, Donohue, and Jasey Goedeken. They will all have to continue to hit to have a shot at the NCC championship.
With the Coyotes new found confidence, it will be interesting to see what they can do in the upcoming NCC tournament. This run is coming at the perfect time, not only for the team, but for coach Klyse to show she is the right person for the job. Stay tuned, an interesting weekend ahead for this team in the future.
——–Justin Rust
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