The Cal Poly women’s softball team will enter its final games of the season this weekend with a positive attitude.
Despite a disappointing season of 12 wins and 34 losses overall, the team looks forward to one last chance to redeem themselves.
Head coach Jenny Condon said the team’s unsuccessful season is partially attributed to its unusually high number of injuries. The injuries, however, provided a challenge for the team to rise up to.
“It’s made the team a little bit more resilient,” Condon said. “Some players got the opportunity to step up, get some playing time and make the most of it. We went through a point where someone new was getting injured almost every day, and someone stepped up. You can complain about it or you can just keep working hard, and that’s what this team has done.”
Players who have stepped up to replace injured players include freshmen pitchers Jordan Yates and Chloe Wurst. They improved as the season progressed, and this will be an advantage for the team next season, Condon said.
Although the team has been solid in defense this year, there was a lack of offensive production that created struggles for the pitchers. The team hopes to become stronger in offense next season.
“For the most part, our infielders are made up of freshmen and sophomores, so I’m excited to see what they’re going to do next year,” Condon said. “We’re going to keep building defensively, and those freshmen and sophomores will also get stronger offensively too.”
Shea Williams, who plays third base, agrees the team needs to improve on offense for next season. She said she hopes for more consistent hitting in order to produce more runs for pitchers.
“For the most part, our pitchers have been able to keep us in games, and we haven’t been able to give them the offense that is required to win a game,” Williams said.
This weekend, the Mustangs play a three-game home series against UC Riverside.
“We want to go out with a bang,” Williams said. “We’ve had our struggles throughout the season, and every time we step out onto the field, we want to be able to protect our home turf. This season’s not over for us. We’d really like to give (graduating seniors Nicole Lund and Nora Sobczak) some wins.”
As motivation to conclude the season successfully, the team plans to play hard for Lund and Sobczak. The seniors have set a solid example on and off the field, Williams said. They will be recognized on Senior Day with a small ceremony before the final game where they are congratulated for their accomplishments in school and contributions to the team.
Lund said she is glad to have made memories with her team despite the frustrating season, and she looks forward to winning her last game at Cal Poly and the future of Mustang softball.
“We already have so much talent on the team, and they’re going in the right direction to be successful,” Lund said. “They’re working hard every day. The experience will come and catch up with them, and I think that’s what will be needed for them to get the results they’ve been working hard for. They’re a really great group of girls, and I’m excited to see what they have in store for the next few seasons.”