Photo courtesy of Andris Visockis

Story by Charlie Crowley, Sports Editor

The Saints’ softball squad is back on the field. After their spring training trip to Arizona to get in some games, the team has had a rough go getting in games. Although they have managed 26 games so far, they have had 16 games cancelled or postponed. The team was chomping at the bit to hit the diamond.

“It has made us itch and itch to get outside,” said Sophomore Outfielder Brooke Senkbeil. “For some of us, our two week break took us off our hot streaks, for others, they got on a streak. Having so many games rescheduled means we have a lot of games in a short amount of time, so we have to change our focus and mentality and be eve stronger.”

With a record of 8-24 (2-9 WHAC), the team is looking for a strong finish to the season. The team has 16 games remaining, eight of which are Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference games. All 16 will be played between April 20 and May 2, a short window for the load ahead.

“We’re focusing on being mentally prepared and keeping our bodies healthy,” said Senior Infielder Irma Cruz. “We have a lot of games to make up and our goal as of now is to stay healthy and continue on to the conference tournament.”

Although the Saints may not be getting wins, they have been productive offensively. Junior Ellie Adams is batting .360 with 31 hits, four home runs, and  17 runs batted in. Senior Jenn Woolard has also put up 17 RBI, as well as 21 hits. On the mound first-year Emily Kimball has pitched the most innings with 82.2, posting 28 strikeouts and a 4.46 earned run average. Sophomore Mandy Rosol has also helped shoulder the load with 76.1 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, and a 7.73 ERA.

With half of the remaining schedule being conference games, the Saints will have a large task at hand managing a pivotal part of their schedule in the next few weeks.

“Our biggest focus is to take it one day at a time,” Senkbeil said. Just becuase we played poorly one day, doesn’t mean that’s what is going to happen next. We win when we are playing to have fun and not stressing, so our biggest goal is to play together and have fun.”

The Saints’ next home game is April 26 against Olivet College at 4 p.m.

About the writer…

Charlie Crowley is a junior studying communication and journalism.He is The Saint‘s Sports Editor. He spends most of his time playing hockey, sleeping, eating, and on Reddit. He’s also a Hoosier, and proud of it, but can’t hit the open three to save his life.