News
Briefly
Calendar of Events
Commentary
Opinions
Sports
Diversions
World News
Classifieds
Login
Letter Submission
Search
Archive
Publishing Policy
Mail Subscriptions
St. Cloud State University
College Publisher
Home
>
Sports
Florida trip preps softball
By Joshua Fox
Published:
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The women's softball team learned a lot about themselves over spring break.�
Like many students, the team traveled to a warm weather destination, but their trip was more work than pleasure.
The team played 12 games in six days while in Orlando, Fla., finishing the trip with an 8-4 record.
After starting their preseason in the new dome, the team was happy to play some games outdoors.
"It is a very different game played out on real dirt and to have the sun over your head," SCSU head coach Paula U'Ren said.
Though the team prefers playing outside, the dome is a big improvement over the Halenbeck Fieldhouse where they have had to practice in years past.
"It is awesome as an outfielder. When I came in (as a first-year), all we could do was lone drive shots or ground balls out in the Fieldhouse," senior Abby Velta said.
The addition of the dome allowed the team to host two preseason tournaments in February, something that would have been impossible before.
The Huskies, who finished third in the nation last year, started this season ranked fourth despite having several key players graduate last season.
"We are not going to be a dominant team that wins every single game so we are going to have to scrap and get runs. We are going to have to take every team seriously. But we are capable of defeating the big teams as well," senior Megan Fuches said.
While in Orlando, the Huskies played competitive teams from different regions that they would not get a chance to play often during the regular season.�
"Our schedule was challenging, so it was good to see that we are growing every week," U'Ren said.
Playing on dirt is much different then the turf in the dome so the games the Huskies played helped get the team ready for the start of the North Central Conference regular season next week.
"Our first game on dirt we won and we played pretty well because it is going to be tough your first couple days (going from turf to dirt)," Fuches said. "It was nice to get outside for the first time."
The team put on an impressive show while in Florida, after getting used to the surface the team went 7-3 in their last 10 games, including six shutout wins, scoring 32 runs while only allowing five.
The trip was seen as a success. But the 11-day break before the start of the regular season is seen as positive as it gives SCSU time to work out some of the kinks in their game.
"I think the games that we lost we beat ourselves," Velta said. "The 12 games we played didn't tell us what the season is going to be like. It showed us what we need to work on."
Velta sees this year's team differently knowing that wins may not come as easy but she believes that another NCC title and run in the national tournament are well within this team's grasp.
"We have a young team and we have a lot of talent and we work really well together," Velta said.
Forum:
No comments have been posted for this story.
Post a comment
56301
St. Cloud
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/weather/images/fcicons/sn.jpg
Chance Snow
37
18
