Softball team to open its season with double-header

With a 30-20 overall record and a 15-3 Patriot League record in 2014, coach Francis Troyan’s softball program has proven itself to be strong. However, it has its eyes set on bigger goals.

Scheduled to open its season this Friday with a double-header against Fairleigh Dickinson University and Radford University, Lehigh’s softball team feels ready to meet the competition.

Its first weekend tournament of the season will be played in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the Tar Heel Invitational. It is a four-game tournament that lasts two days. After playing Fairleigh Dickinson and Radford, the women will play Campbell University and the University of North Carolina on Saturday. These athletes have been preparing for the spring season since students returned to campus Jan. 19.

“We’ve been practicing four to five times a week,” sophomore pitcher Christine Campbell said. “We haven’t been able to practice outside because of the snow, so we’re all pretty excited to head down to North Carolina next weekend.”

Various cardio workouts and lifts have kept the Mountain Hawks in top shape for the past month. With two lifts and four performance practices a week, these athletes only take off on Sundays.

“Our lifts have been getting a lot harder lately, so you can tell we’re preparing for a hard season to come,” sophomore outfielder Ashley Cole said.

Despite not being able to practice outside, Troyan is confident in the team’s ability against the upcoming competition.

“Our veteran leadership has done a great job of making sure that everyone shows up to practice with a lot of energy,” Troyan wrote in an email. “I feel like the team has done everything they can to be ready for the first games.”

As far as performance practices go, the softball team prepares for the upcoming season primarily with inter-squad scrimmages. This involves splitting the team in half and holding a nine versus nine practice game. Practicing like this prepares the hitters for opposing pitching, while simultaneously preparing the pitchers for opposing hitters. In addition to these scrimmages, practices often include many smaller, technical drills that allow players to really hone in on their weaknesses and subsequently turn them into strengths.

With a rigorous month of training now under their belts, the women have set many goals for themselves and they hope to outdo their predecessors.

Every weekend following the start of the season, Lehigh will play a minimum of three other universities. During spring break, when other students may be relaxing at home or taking a leisurely vacation, Lehigh’s softball team will be traveling to Florida for the Rebel Spring Games. There, they will compete against 12 other schools and look to bring some wins home to Bethlehem.

To many on the team however, there is a bigger goal in mind than just individual wins. Out of all the contenders in the upcoming games, only the top four will compete in the Patriot League Championship, with the No. 1 team having the honor of hosting the championship. The winner of the championship gets to compete in the NCAA tournament. Prior to the past two years, Lehigh was often a participant of the NCAA tournament.

“Last year, we hosted the Patriot League Championship, but we didn’t win it,” Cole said. “This year, I hope we can come back from the past two years and compete in the NCAA tournament.”

With the addition of six new freshmen to the team this year, all of whom are competitive recruits, this is an achievable goal for Lehigh’s softball team. This is a team that has some star power, as well, and that can help bring them to the top.

Junior third baseman Morgan Decker is the player who comes in with the highest expectations. She was nominated for preseason player of the year after being nominated for player of the year for the past two seasons.

“We have a solid set of returning players with a lot of starters coming back,” Campbell said. “What is most important though is our team dynamic. This year, it’s really good. We’re all competing to make ourselves better, which in turn will make us better against the other teams.”