Ryan ChartrandThe Cal Poly softball team is preparing to begin the season with 14 returnees on its 19-player squad.
“We only lost two seniors so the big core of our group is still here,” junior pitcher Robyn Kontra said. “It wasn’t a massive transition.”
The players not only click on the field, but also continue the camaraderie developed over the past couple years.
“We should be better because we’ve been playing together for so long,” redshirt freshman pitcher Briana George said.
Cal Poly will likely rely on its reserves, head coach Jenny Condon said.
“Our strength is our depth,” Condon said. “We have five pitchers and defensively, we have a great backup at every position. We don’t have any glaring weaknesses so we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.”
The team’s first chance to try its lineup comes Feb. 9 when it opens the season with a doubleheader at home against Washington to begin the Mustang Classic at Bob Janssen Field.
The Mustangs did not face Washington last year so they’ll be using their opponents as a gauge for their performance early on.
“With Washington I just want to see where we’re at,” said Condon, who is 62-39 in her two years at the helm. “They are traditionally a top-10 team and what better way to start the season at home than with a top-ranked team.”
Cal Poly is coming off a 27-23 season.
“We want to be really explosive out of the gate against Washington,” Kontra said.
Cal Poly continues nonconference play until March 31 when it faces UC Riverside for its first Big West Conference game.
Nonconference games, however, have a significant impact on whether teams are considered for the NCAA Tournament’s elusive at-large bids.
“For us, it’s almost two-thirds of our season before conference starts,” Condon said.
The last two years, Cal Poly has been controversially left out of the postseason.
The Mustangs were 35-16 overall and left out in 2005.
It was disputed again last year after Big West rival UC Santa Barbara qualified despite the fact that Cal Poly beat the Gauchos twice during the regular season and finished with a better record.
But the Mustangs have already been preparing to reach the tournament this time around.
“We’ve strengthened our schedule even more, but we will need to beat those top-ranked teams, not just play them,” Condon said. “If we take care of that, we should have no questions come selection Sunday.”
Besides focusing on the outside competition to strengthen the team, the Mustangs have also been concentrating internally on competing for starting roles.
“We are carrying 19 players this year and throughout the fall, they had to compete and fight for a starting spot, which overall makes our team better,” Condon said. “Our best nine are going to play – regardless of if you’re a walk-on or if you have a full-ride scholarship, if you’re one of our best players, you’re going to play.”
And there has been plenty of opportunity to show off skills in practice time. The Mustangs have an intense preseason practice schedule with three-hour workouts Monday through Thursday as well as Friday mornings.
With their first game in a little more than two weeks, they will soon switch to three-day-a-week practices while traveling and playing games Thursday through Sunday.
One of their main focuses so far has been the rotation.
“We have five different pitchers and it’ll be tough for opposing batters,” Condon said. “They all complement each other well and that’s a luxury that most programs don’t have – depth in pitching.”
The team also showcases freshman Helen Pena, a left-handed pitcher, something that the team hasn’t had in a while, George said.
Condon feels the diverse range of talent can help the Mustangs have a highly successful season.
“We play teams in the traditional top 20, in the Pac-10,” she said. “We host both Washington and UCLA and it’s just a stronger conference throughout.”