In a closely contested series last weekend against their rivals, the Western Washington University (WWU) Vikings, the CWU softball team battled through every inning and ended with a hard-fought split over the four games, snapping the Vikings 17-game win-streak. Despite the even outcome, the Wildcats emerged from the showdown with valuable lessons learned and a strong sense of determination for the upcoming Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament next week.
“Beating the 11-ranked team in the country twice when no one was picking us to win any games in the series gave us confidence moving forward into senior night this weekend … and [to] finish the job and secure a spot in the GNAC Tournament,” Reese Schimmel, a junior infielder, said.
Head coach Joe DiPietro said that the Vikings’ winning streak wasn’t necessarily on the mind of the Wildcats, as they were more concerned with playoff positioning heading into the GNAC Tournament.
“We were going into that weekend tied with Western Oregon [University] for the fourth spot for the playoffs,” DiPietro said. “I think the girls realized and understood the importance of the games and that we really had to play better and a little more [consistently] because we’re going against obviously one of the best teams in the country.”
WWU currently stands with an overall record of 34-5 and a GNAC record of 14-3, whereas CWU’s season has shown a broader range of outcomes. However, despite the numerical differences the Wildcats have proven themselves as formidable contenders as exemplified by their victories in the first and third games of the series, with scores of 3-2 and 2-1.
“We knew that WWU was a good team all around and we were going to have to play our best game in all aspects in order to win,” Schimmel said. “We talked a lot about going into the series with confidence and having fun playing the game at a level we know we are capable of.”
Facing some of the best hitters in the nation, CWU’s pitching staff managed to hold the Vikings to minimal runs, showcasing their composure under pressure.
“I think Ashley Laver pitched really well this weekend,” DiPietro said. “She’s a fifth-year for us and she’s our leader on the mound. Alyssa Benthagen had a great weekend, Friday she was five-for-five … We got a little bit of a lead and were able to hang in there and finish it out.”
The next time the Wildcats take the mound will be for their final series of the regular season as they’ll conclude with a double-header on April 27 for senior night, where DiPietro said they will be honoring nine seniors. DiPietro highlighted the leadership shown by the seniors on the team.
“They’ve been great leaders with some of our younger players,” DiPietro said. “When they lead they’re not telling people what to do, they’re helping them, there’s a big difference. When your peers are telling you what to do, it usually doesn’t go over well. Our girls haven’t done that, they haven’t let that creep in.”
With the GNAC Tournament only a week away, the CWU softball team has been buckling down and honing their skills both on and off the field. Whether it’s fine-tuning their techniques during practice or conditioning their mentalities, the Wildcats are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of success.
“First and foremost, our main goal this season has been making it to and winning the GNAC tournament,” Schimmel said. “We know that in order to do this we need to have a one game at a time mindset and truly leave it all on the field every single game. Our coaches have been instilling in us to just go ‘one for one’ and I believe that having this mindset is setting us up to succeed going into the rest of our season.”
