2008 Woodie Awards
Softball still a finished product
Jeff Newman
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports
When the season began, the Terrapin softball team was looking to prove its doubters wrong.
But despite an 18-1 record and a 15-game winning streak, the Terps are still far from declaring mission accomplished.
Even as the No. 23 Terps move up in the national rankings, they still see room for improvement. Despite their record, the Terps have only won nine games by three or more runs. The Terps face Pittsburgh (9-7) in a doubleheader today looking to extend their winning streak.
"It's good that people are recognizing the hard work we're putting in, and it's paying off," senior outfielder Meghan Booth said. "I don't think many teams in the ACC expected much from us because we haven't done much the past couple seasons. I think once the conference season starts, it will be really competitive. Just because we're ranked doesn't mean we're not going to have to come out and fight for it."
Such was the case this past weekend.
The Terps went 3-0 in the Maryland Invitational, but their total margin of victory was four runs, and coach Laura Watten knows her team will need to shore up some inconsistencies before the ACC schedule begins March 21.
"This week and next week are really preparing us for conference," Watten said. "We're not going to be able to squeak by conference teams like [we have been]. We can't continue to train ourselves to do this. I'd like to see them really go out and attack and have their 'A' game the entire game."
The Panthers are 1-0 versus the ACC - they beat the Hokies early in the season 3-0 - and are led by first baseman Sam Card, third baseman Jessica Dignon and catcher Mary Hecker. All three are batting over .300 and have two home runs, and the trio has combined for 25 RBIs.
The Terps have seen recent improvement in a lineup that was anchored early in the season by freshman pitcher Kerry Hickey and senior first baseman Sarde Stewart. Stewart is coming off a 3-for-4, two-home run, five-RBI performance including a walk-off single against Fordham, and was named ACC Co-Player of the Week along with Florida State's Brittany Osmon.
"We're happy we're winning, but we know we need to perfect our performance," Booth said. "We should be scoring more runs against some of the less-caliber teams. We're not disappointed with the winning obviously, but we'd be happier if the winning margins were bigger."
The Terps have been able to counter inconsistent pitching with a deep bench, and Watten has not shied away from using all four pitchers in a game, but said she would like to avoid that if she can.
"Our offense has to be able to support our pitchers," Watten said. "That was one of the things I said after the [Columbia] game - you can't just give [junior pitcher] Meredith [Nelles] two runs. You can't do it, because one swing of the bat can change the entire game. They can look at the 18 wins and be happy, but no one really cares where you're at right now. ... The only thing that really matters is where you end up in May."
jnewmandbk@gmail.com
But despite an 18-1 record and a 15-game winning streak, the Terps are still far from declaring mission accomplished.
Even as the No. 23 Terps move up in the national rankings, they still see room for improvement. Despite their record, the Terps have only won nine games by three or more runs. The Terps face Pittsburgh (9-7) in a doubleheader today looking to extend their winning streak.
"It's good that people are recognizing the hard work we're putting in, and it's paying off," senior outfielder Meghan Booth said. "I don't think many teams in the ACC expected much from us because we haven't done much the past couple seasons. I think once the conference season starts, it will be really competitive. Just because we're ranked doesn't mean we're not going to have to come out and fight for it."
Such was the case this past weekend.
The Terps went 3-0 in the Maryland Invitational, but their total margin of victory was four runs, and coach Laura Watten knows her team will need to shore up some inconsistencies before the ACC schedule begins March 21.
"This week and next week are really preparing us for conference," Watten said. "We're not going to be able to squeak by conference teams like [we have been]. We can't continue to train ourselves to do this. I'd like to see them really go out and attack and have their 'A' game the entire game."
The Panthers are 1-0 versus the ACC - they beat the Hokies early in the season 3-0 - and are led by first baseman Sam Card, third baseman Jessica Dignon and catcher Mary Hecker. All three are batting over .300 and have two home runs, and the trio has combined for 25 RBIs.
The Terps have seen recent improvement in a lineup that was anchored early in the season by freshman pitcher Kerry Hickey and senior first baseman Sarde Stewart. Stewart is coming off a 3-for-4, two-home run, five-RBI performance including a walk-off single against Fordham, and was named ACC Co-Player of the Week along with Florida State's Brittany Osmon.
"We're happy we're winning, but we know we need to perfect our performance," Booth said. "We should be scoring more runs against some of the less-caliber teams. We're not disappointed with the winning obviously, but we'd be happier if the winning margins were bigger."
The Terps have been able to counter inconsistent pitching with a deep bench, and Watten has not shied away from using all four pitchers in a game, but said she would like to avoid that if she can.
"Our offense has to be able to support our pitchers," Watten said. "That was one of the things I said after the [Columbia] game - you can't just give [junior pitcher] Meredith [Nelles] two runs. You can't do it, because one swing of the bat can change the entire game. They can look at the 18 wins and be happy, but no one really cares where you're at right now. ... The only thing that really matters is where you end up in May."
jnewmandbk@gmail.com
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