| Hedrick heads new softball season with determination |
|
|
|
| Written by By Will Doan, The Shorthorn staff | ||||
| Monday, 18 January 2010 10:20 PM | ||||
|
With a 2009 overall season record of 23-24 and 17-13 in conference, the Mavs will look to become a more unified team in a battle to win the conference in the new season. It’s a new decade and a new start for softball head coach Debbie Hedrick and the Mavericks. The last decade for the Mavs ended in a disappointing loss to UT-San Antonio in the Southland Conference Tournament. “We need to be more consistent,” Hedrick said. “Pitching was up and down, but we had some great outings.” In the 2009 season, the Mavs struggled across the board in pitching, offense and defense. The offense seems lack the power that past teams had. When hitting coach Vince Kwasnick was hired in 2006, the Mavericks set a school record with 31 home runs and 110 extra base hits. The following year, the Mavs nearly doubled that record with 55 home runs and 137 extra base hits. Last season saw the Mavs’ home run numbers dip as the team hit only 45 home runs and had 90 extra base hits. The numbers don’t necessarily pose a concern to the hitting coach. “It’s certainly not the lack of talent,” Kwasnick said. “We just didn’t get as many timely hits. The main priority is to get more hits this season. The home runs will come.” During the fall semester, Kwasnick worked with the Mavericks on breaking down the mechanics of hitting. The usual batting cages and stationary drills were introduced, but players also saw more “live pitching” during practice. This season the players themselves will make their own decisions when it comes to stealing bases, Kwasnick said. All eyes were on the offense trying to get the team going last season, Kwasnick said. Meanwhile, the defensive side committed 48 errors. But assistant coach Angela Perry said experience will play a huge role this upcoming season. “We had a lot of freshman playing in left field,” Perry said. “This year we will have more maturity in the outfield, so leadership will be there.” Perry emphasizes repetition as key for defense. The “bucket drill” was used in training players to do repetitive motions. Each player will field 10 balls in a row and will do it three to four times each. On the last set, if a player bobbles the ball, she will have to redo the last set again. Although there is renewed emphasis on defensive fundamentals, Hedrick said, the Mavs’ goal will still be the same as the previous decade’s — to win the Southland Conference. Views: 394 | E-mail
Only registered users can write comments. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 |
||||
Be first to comment this article
| Next > |
|---|
Copyright © 2005 - 2010 The Shorthorn.
