Softball faces Boston College with plenty left to prove in ACC

Last year, the Terrapin softball team headed into a weekend series with Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., with the opportunity to seal coach Laura Watten's first-ever over-.500 record in the ACC.

But the team fell short, splitting a doubleheader against the conference bottom-feeder and giving the Terps an 8-11 ACC record, which dropped them to the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Tomorrow, as the Terps (24-12, 2-3 ACC) open up a three-game series looking up at the Eagles (10-19, 5-3) in the conference standings at Robert E. Taylor Stadium, last year's games are the farthest thing from Watten's mind.

"We're just focused on one game at a time," Watten said Wednesday after the Terps' sweep of Georgetown. "We're not focused on anything except one game at a time and really fine-tuning and fixing things we didn't do well tonight."

"We can't take any team lightly," outfielder Vangie Galindo said. "We got to come out and beat them."

But while Watten isn't thinking about evening scores from years past, she is concerned about one thing: her team's ability to focus throughout an entire series.

After Wednesday night's doubleheader against Georgetown, in which the Terps were able to score only two runs in the 11 innings after a nine-run, series-opening first inning, Watten was visibly frustrated with what she said was her team's lack of focus in the day's nightcap.

It wasn't the first time something like that had happened, either.

On March 5, the Terps thrashed Longwood, 16-0, but came out flat in the day's second game against Notre Dame, not scoring until the sixth inning in an eventual 5-3 loss.

"I think it drains you a lot mentally and physically to beat a team by that much," Watten said after that tournament. "To be honest, it's a little scary because, if you have another game right after it, the challenge is to stay up and stay consistent going right into the next game. It's difficult to go out and jump on a team and score eight runs in the first inning and keep my team going."

Galindo said that was the case Wednesday.

"I think that there was a lack of focus because we beat [Georgetown] so badly the first game, so I think they kind of just sat and expected to win, but they kind of waited for someone to start it and not start it themselves," Galindo said.

Despite being picked to finish last in the ACC, the Eagles have come out strong this year, sweeping conference rivals Virginia and NC State. If last year's results against Boston College weren't enough, the Eagles' surprising start has gotten the Terps' attention.

"We have to take Boston College like they're Georgia Tech," Galindo said. "We have to go after each team the same and play our game."

"Coach Watten always says that we just have to keep our attitudes rolling, and runs don't roll into the next game," infielder Lexi Carroll said.

With three of their next four series against ACC foes, the Terps are aware of their abilities, but the fact that they can't take any days off is making itself clear.

"We're such a great team, that's the thing that sucks," Galindo said. "Not everyone is bringing out their individual talent when it's most needed. If everybody focuses on themselves, everything will be put together."

dgallen@umdbk.com