Virginia softball coach Cheryl Sprangel is still waiting for her real softball team to show up. After splitting four games last weekend in the Holiday Inn Green and White Tournament (a tournament Virginia viewed as winnable) in Charlotte, N.C., the Cavaliers' spirit is still confident and high. Sprangel is just waiting for that attitude to spill over into improved play.
"We're not there yet," Sprangel admitted after Virginia's 2-2 weekend record brought the season total to a less-than-spectacular 4-5. "I'm a little disappointed. I thought we should have been at least 3-1, maybe 4-0. We just aren't clicking yet, but I know we can, I know the potential is there."
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, Sprangel's disappointment in Virginia's overall performance so far this year has not transferred into players moping, bad attitudes or break-ups in team chemistry.
"The attitude is still very good because we know what we need to work on," Sprangel said. "It would be different if we knew these things weren't fixable."
One of "these things" Sprangel is referring to has been the Cavaliers' inability to wake up their bats after the first two tournaments. As a whole, Virginia is only hitting .235 so far this year. No player who has more than 16 at-bats is hitting over .300. Last year, Virginia batted .295 as a team, so the potential to hit better is certainly there.
Junior pitcher Erin Horn, an up-and-down pitcher who has a 1.95 ERA along with 20 walks this season, sees this year's slow start as a possible good thing, epitomizing the softball squad's ability to keep optimism high.
"We haven't played up to our full potential," Horn said. "But at the same time, it's pretty early. In the past, we've peaked a little early, so this could be a good sign of building and peaking later in the season."
Virginia has good reason to keep its attitude high so far this year because several key positions are being filled by freshmen and first-year starters, who have produced well so far this season.
Sophomore Brooke Sorber, who is playing her first season as full-time starter at first base, has been a solid hitter for the Cavaliers in the fifth spot of the batting order. Sorber is batting .269 and has a fielding percentage of .972. This past weekend, fellow sophomore Coty Tolar showed that she has the potential to anchor Virginia's pitching staff, recording two complete games and two victories in Charlotte.
"There were some better performances [this weekend]," Sprangel said. "I thought, in particular, Coty Tolar had some good pitching performances."
This weekend, the Cavaliers travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. to play in the Frost Classic. Virginia will play six teams: Kentucky and Bowling Green on Friday, Kent State, Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech on Saturday, and finish with Bradley on Sunday.
In Tennessee the Cavaliers will look to continue their transformation of good attitude off the field to good performances on it.
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
