Softball unable to find strut as rain impacts practice, games

By Gina Massetani

The women's softball team is attempting to weather the storm, both literally and metaphorically. Nasty weather and difficult pre-season opponents have laid out a bumpy road for the Broncos, but Santa Clara remains determined.

"We have had some good weekends. We had a great weekend in Colorado," said Head Coach Lisa Mize. "Unfortunately, we have lost nine games because of rain so we haven't been able to have a consistent roll. We are working on cutting down our errors and consistent pitching. We have a lot to work on, but we are better."

The rain has been a monumental factor in the beginning of the Broncos season. Two important weekends of pre-season play were rained out, as were practices.  

 Mize explained that the team practiced in an indoor facility when necessary.

It allowed the team to work on hitting, pitching and some skills and techniques on defense. However, it was not an ideal situation, because it did not allow for a complete defensive practice.

 "Last year we had a couple of games that got rained out and it was difficult to come back," said Senior Amanda Emerson. "We are working on controlling the controllable and not thinking about things like the weather or the umpires."

"The team dealt really well with the weather," said Mize. "We realized quickly that we can't control Mother Nature. We try to stay positive. From a coaching perspective, there are some games I would have liked us to have played. It would have given us a chance to have a few more wins which would boost confidence."

The Broncos are taking on an approach this season that focuses on the positives, trying to avoid diverting all their attention to their record (4-11). Emerson explained that team dynamics are the best she has ever experienced while at Santa Clara and it has helped impact the level of play.

"One of our biggest goals is to stay positive, get better and grow," said Emerson. "We are working on not thinking about our record, but how we get better and looking at success in a different way."

Added Mize, "we look at the little things. Did we execute? Did we get better? We try to break down the game and realize it's a process and every day we are trying to get better, even if it's only one percent."

Santa Clara is beginning conference  play this weekend against CSU Bakersfield. The Broncos play in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and are eagerly looking forward to starting the regular season. Hoping to improve in all aspects of the game, the Broncos are focusing on increasing batting averages, while decreasing in errors.

"We have a good solid base on what we need to work on, how we are going to get better and how we will compete in conference," said Mize.

Constantly improving, the Broncos are attempting to make-up for lost games and practices.

"We are really trying to put ourselves in pressure situations," said Mize. "We are making practices as game- like as possible. As a goal for the team we are striving for excellence. We want no errors and to capitalize on our opportunities."

Both the team and coaches have an optimistic outlook for this season.

Santa Clara's first home game is against Oregon State on April 14.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I have made a lot of friends and grown a lot over the last four years," said Emerson.  "This year I want to finish strong, have a good senior year and have fun."

The Broncos will take to the road for the next game against CSU Bakersfield this Saturday. Santa Clara awaits a weather report with sunny days ahead.

Contact Gina Massetani at gmassetani@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.