Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Errors hurting UMass softball early on

Jeff Bernstein/Collegian File Photo

The Massachusetts softball team has struggled early on with an inexperienced pitching staff. And the play of the fielders hasn’t made the job any easier.

The Minutewomen have committed 51 errors in the first 19 games, something that UMass coach Elaine Sortino said is a result of playing under high-pressure situations.

“The defense gets in a situation, there’s runners on base, the team is close, and we start making a throw before we have a ball,” Sortino said.

Last year, the Minutewomen committed the least amount of errors (39) in the Atlantic 10 and were second in fielding percentage at .968. However, the team also had the least number of fielding chances in the conference (1,232), due in large part to a pitching staff that led the conference in with 557 strikeouts and opposing batting average (.148).

With the departure of ace pitcher Sara Plourde, the UMass pitching staff is comprised of players who are either coming off injuries or have not pitched many outings in past seasons.

Sortino said the changes in the pitching staff have had an effect on the team’s fielding. She said that all parts of the game affect each other and that if one aspect falls apart, it can cause everything to go out of control.

“The game tends to spiral like that,” she said. “I think the pressure, the anxiety on the defense, ‘I’ve got to do more, I’ve got to do a little bit better,’ that makes you a little bit tight, and then pretty soon you’re not making a routine play.

“I totally believe that our pitching leads to the defense, the defense leads to the pitching, the pitching leads to the hitting, and all of it is kind of a little off and not in the direction we’d like it.”

Sortino said the adversity the team has faced thus far this season has helped them learn how to face such high-pressure situations.

“I think our team is learning how to handle that anxiety, take a deep breath, step back, slow the game down, be able to handle the situation,” she said.

Sortino said right now the team is trying to take a step back and make sure not to make the little mistakes that can prove costly in a game.

“Keeping things simple, squaring up to the ball, making the routine play and making sure that the pace of practice will make the game seem slow. That’s what we took the time to work on,” she said.

Sortino said she believes the team can overcome its early struggles, but it will take some time.

“It’s going to be one game at a time, it’s not going to come in a tidal wave, it’s going to come slowly as we regain our composure, find our stride, understand who we are and what we can do,” she said.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time, and a lot of teams would have rolled over by now … and we’re not there. We’re hopeful, we’re focused, and we have a goal, and we’re going to keep knocking on that door.”

Jesse Mayfield-Sheehan can be reached at [email protected] and can be followed on Twitter at @jgms88.

 

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