Rough season
Softball team has chance to make nationals
CASSIE PAULSEN, Clarion Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Sports
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That's just putting it lightly.
After winning their first game of the season 7-6 against Northland Community College on their Spring Training trip to Florida, they hit an eight-game skid which could have reached higher numbers had they not had 13 games rained out.
Then coach Del Schneeberger left the program, making way for women's basketball coach Jessica Pelzel to take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
Under Pelzel the WolfPack have gone 4-5 to bring their season record to 5-13. This from a team who the last two years were one win away from advancing the National Tournament.
So perhaps frustrated is the right word to use?
"It is frustrating," said Pelzel. "The weather is frustrating. There are teams that don't want to make up games. They've got conference and region games they want to make up so we get bumped."
All in all the WolfPack have had 19 games cancelled this season, one more than games they have actually played. And of the 18 games they have played, nine of those were in the sun of Florida over Spring Break.
Despite that fact, MATC still has a shot at the NJCAA Division III National Tournament. The WolfPack will take part in the Region XIII Tournament May 8 and 9 in Wilmar, Minn. - and the past two years have found themselves one win away from making it to the National Tournament.
"The biggest (mindset) is just, up until regional's, the rest of the season doesn't matter," said second-year outfield Jessica Caygill. "We make it to regional's no matter what. So we just have to keep that in our mind. The rest of the season doesn't matter."
That sort of mindset may help in this situation. While the 'Pack does have one huge win - a 9-8 thriller in 10 innings over fourth-ranked College of DuPage - they ended the regular season with 11-2 and 17-0 losses to 36-6 Kirkwood Community College. Both of those games were played at Hitters indoor complex in Middleton, not an ideal complex for junior college softball.
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