The UW-Platteville women’s softball team is eager to get the 2008 season started with seven returning starters and 13 new freshmen added to the roster who are ready to contribute to a team coming off of an 11-28 campaign. They have a tournament in South Carolina over spring break from March 14-21, and hope to build a solid team chemistry over the trip.

The softball team last year finished the season 11-28 overall and 1-15 in WIAC play. Fourteen of the 26 losses were by only one run. The Pioneers return seven position players who last year set a UW-P record for home runs. Freshman pitcher Katie Sutter will help senior pitcher Maggie Medlicott by adding pitching depth and ease the burden on the senior who was 7-14 last season. The team lost two outfielders to graduation but has 13 freshmen looking to fill those positions.

Photograph by Krystle Kurdi
Kristin Nelson plays catch during a March 7 UW-P practice. The softball team heads south for a tournament from March 14-21.

“No player’s spot on the roster is a guarantee, the freshmen have a lot of talent and I will be looking for something out of every practice,” softball head coach Heather Townsend said.

With the 13 newcomers on the roster, the softball team has the depth it needs in case the team is hit with any injuries, which occur during almost a 40-game season. The freshman will learn aspects of how to play the game at the college level through practice and game experiences over the season.

There are six returning seniors on the team this season, and all are prepared to give their best to have an impressive final season as a Pioneer. UW-P are one of the few teams in the conference that have gotten stronger with their depth and experience.

“We are looking forward to playing teams like UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater; we feel we have a strong team this season,” Lindsay Weigand, a senior third baseman, said.

“We lost a lot of games last year by one run, this year we want to play the role of spoiler,” Becky Swanson, senior left fielder, said.

The Snow Bird tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. over Spring Break is a kick start to the season for the softball team. The team has eight games scheduled during their trip and hopes to schedule two more before the tournament is over. The Snow Bird tournament gives the coaches a chance to see how returning players have improved and how the incoming freshmen can perform in real game time situations.

The tournament will be the first time this year the girls have played together, and will create an opportunity to work on team chemistry before the WIAC season starts.

The new assistant coach Jaclyn Salzwedel has given head coach Heather Townsend an extra set of eyes to critique players and assist in their player development. She created an offseason weight training and conditioning program for the team that relates to softball more than in the past. She also monitors the girl’s performance and participation in the program closer then in recent years.

The team is also taking extra steps in practice to make an effort to improve on last year’s performance. The pitchers also practice an hour before and after practice this year to help the team have a better shot at competing for the WIAC conference title.

“Every year we aim to win conference,” Townsend said.