Terrapins softball coach Julie Wright has grown frustrated.
After Wright criticized her squad’s 5-10 record, she said the team has failed to lock in completely in practice ahead of weekend games in Washington against Georgetown, Monmouth, George Washington and Columbia.
“How you play is a direct result of how you practice,” Wright said. “We are just not all the way there yet.”
The players believe they’ll be fine, though.
The returning Terps have endured rough patches before, and the challenging first few weeks of this season pale in comparison to 2014, when the team went 11-35.
Memories of that slump have stuck with the upperclassmen, providing perspective on the adversity the team currently faces. For instance, junior outfielder Kylie Datil realizes now that things are “never that bad.”
“Everything we’re doing this year, we know how to get over because of years past,” she said. “This year will be a lot easier to step over some of the adversity we’re going to see.”
One of the recent issues has been playing without a key leader.
Wright rested senior infielder Lindsey Schmeiser most of this past weekend to protect her from aggravating the back problems she suffered through last season. Schmeiser leads the team with four home runs this season and has the most over her career in program history.
She likely will be used sparingly this weekend in Washington because of concerns over how the cold weather might affect her back, Wright said.
With Schmeiser playing a limited role, it will be up to other veterans, such as utility player Hannah Dewey, to pick up the slack. Dewey said the team must play as more of a unit in order to bounce back from its 5-10 start.
That starts with more consistency at the plate. They’ve been held to two or fewer runs in seven of their 15 games.
“There are going to be good days and bad days for the pitching staff, and we need to back them up,” Dewey said.
Dewey, who pitches and hits, has logged 32 innings in the pitching circle this season. The junior, who has logged a 6.78 ERA, has worked hard recently to become a more reliable option for Wright.
She said she struggled last weekend because she didn’t focus enough on her mechanics. It’s this lackluster mindset, she said, that leads to inconsistent results.
While Wright has questioned the team’s focus as a whole, Datil hopes playing closer to home after tournaments in Arizona, Georgia and Florida will help spark a turnaround.
“It’s always nice traveling,” Datil said. “But playing close to home, we have the advantage of not having to get up as early as the other teams, and … we get to go to our own apartment to unwind.”
