When the Keene State College softball team left for Clermont, Florida, to start their spring break, they flew from a brisk mid-30-degree climate to a balmy 75 degrees. However, the weather was not the only change the Lady Owls had to adapt to.
The team played ten games against a range of schools, including the nearby New England Small College Athletic Conference institutions, Wesleyan and Hamilton. The Owls defeated these teams in addition to Ramapo College of New Jersey, Plattsburgh State and McDaniel College.
Despite their success, they matched their set of wins with five losses, including a close match-up with reigning national champions Tufts University. Sophomore outfielder Stephanie Long said, “Most of our losses were only by a couple of runs. Tufts was ranked number one but now they’re ranked number two. We were winning going into the seventh inning and then they scored three runs in the seventh.”
According to Long, there is no loss the Lady Owls cannot work past. “They had to put in their ace pitcher to face us in the seventh inning,” Long said. “That game made us realize that we really can play with anyone. It was definitely an accomplishment to even be that close.”
Behind the close scores and lifted spirits lies one reason why the Owls may have given up some winnable games. “In a few games our coach put people in positions they might not have been comfortable with. So we had to work through that,” Long said.
Contributed Photo / Susan Glassman:
Anna Glassman bats in a spring break game in Clermont, Florida. Glassman is Ads Director of the Equinox.
According to junior and second baseman Sara Bracken, even though the team may have missed out on a couple of runs, they gained experience and knowledge from this twist. “I think the players were nervous but they did the job well. If they made mistakes, as a team we tried to help them bounce back from it. You could tell they were a little uncomfortable, but I think it better prepared them for going into new spots,” she said.
The upperclassmen players understand KSC softball Head Coach Charlie Beach’s plan.
According to Beach, the idea of switching people’s positions was almost like an audition.
“Before I went to Florida, I didn’t know who was going to play what position, so the idea was to give people exposure to different positions. Based on what we saw, we now have a better idea of who to use where,” he said.
However, Beach said that this was not entirely his idea, as his players inspired it.
“We did mix a lot of things up,” Beach said. He continued, “But in practice before we went to Florida a lot of people had been looking at multiple positions. I had one player say to me, ‘I don’t care where I play, I just want to play.’”
Further, while the Owls were overcoming diversity on the field, they also gained trust and confidence in each other in the process.
“Florida is a huge team bonding experience so I feel like we’re a lot closer coming out of it. By the end of the week I feel like we came together really well,” Long said.
File Photo:
Sophomore pitcher Mariah Crisp has dominated in her first few starts of 2014 after a stellar freshman year.
According to Long and Bracken, the team is more prepared for the rest of the season now. “I think our conference is pretty even this year so once people start coming together and really playing their best I think we have a really great chance of going far this year and having a great season,” Long said.
“I think we all can work together and we know how to work as a team now,” Bracken added.
While the team is confident, Beach said their upcoming game against Eastern Connecticut State University will be the true test of their progress.
“When we go down to mix with Eastern that will give me a better barometer of exactly how they feel about things,” Beach said.
Even so, the Lady Owls are confident in their future success.
“Our team is very close, it’s one of the best things about us. After Florida we only become closer, and that’s it,” Long said.
Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com
