The Virginia softball team will experience its first home action of the season this weekend when it hosts Rutgers, Youngstown State, La Salle and Towson in the Cavalier Classic.
The Cavaliers opened the season strong and rode an early six-game winning streak to a 10-3 record; but since that impressive start, the team has fallen to 13-14. Coach Cheryl Sprangle believes that a home tournament is just what the reeling Cavaliers need.
"Playing at home gives us a lot of confidence," Sprangle said. "We've done really well in our own tournaments in the past, usually winning or at least second place. We need to fully expect to win the whole thing. Having the crowd and being able to sleep in your own bed, things like that at home help out a lot."
The Cavaliers recently returned from an eight-day trip to California. During their Spring Break tour of the Pacific, the Cavaliers compiled a 4-9 record, which included a two-game series split with No. 15 Fresno State and a loss to the No. 3 California Golden Bears.
"I think the trip was really hard on us mentally," senior first baseman Hannah Owings. "We obviously didn't perform as we expected to. But I think we learned a lot from it. We kept telling ourselves that tomorrow is a new day, but we are running out of tomorrows. We know that we have to step it up and start getting it together."
Owings, co-captain of the squad, is not only leading the team with a .313 batting average, but may be more valuable as a team leader.
Hannah "really brings leadership and confidence to the team," Sprangle said. "She has a really good ability to see what the team needs and bring it forth."
Virginia's difficult opening road schedule also has included trips to Texas for the Cougar Classic and to Tennessee for the Sonic Challenge. The Cavaliers will look to their remaining schedule, which consists mostly of home matches, to help them gain momentum for the ACC tournament.
The rest of the season for the Cavaliers begins today with a 1 p.m. game against Rutgers (6-7) and a 3 p.m. matchup with Youngstown State (10-6). Tomorrow's schedule is just as busy, with Virginia facing both La Salle (3-9) and Towson (9-9). The games for first and third place will be played on Sunday.
Coach Sprangle has downplayed the recent struggles of the team, citing small lapses as the reason for the losses, not lack of ability.
"If we're losing games, it's because we are giving it to them," Sprangle said. "It's not that the other teams are doing anything real special, we just need to take care of errors, walks and making good decisions with where to go with the ball. If we do that then we'll be fine."
The Cavaliers have just over a month of regular season play remaining to remedy those minor mistakes and make a run at the ACC championship.
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