The Terrapins softball team’s two seniors held high hopes entering their final season in College Park.
But midway through the Terps’ conference schedule, infielders Lindsey Schmeiser and Corey Schwartz are disappointed with the Terps’ 9-26 record.
The seniors expected to use their power to anchor a lineup that set program records in doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks last season. Schmeiser has hit the most home runs in program history, and Schwartz launched 15 long balls a year ago.
But the duo has hit just five combined homers this season. The rest of the offense has struggled, too, as the team has hit a combined 14 home runs.
Coach Julie Wright attributed the Terps’ downturn to injuries, and limited Schmeiser and Schwartz in practice this week to “get them back feeling good” with a weekend series at Michigan State looming. She hopes that will translate to on-field production for her leaders, who Wright said set the tone for the rest of the team.
After all, younger players look to Schwartz and Schmeiser to set an example. The seniors have helped foster a relaxed atmosphere despite their hitting woes.
“Their job is to calm it down, slow it down,” Wright said. “They’ve just been there and done that.”
Still, the Terps have found it difficult to maintain success over stretches. They have yet to win back-to-back games this season.
Schmeiser said the Terps’ problem with consistency comes down to their mentality.
“It’s effort, it’s focus, it’s a lot of controllables that we need to work on,” Schmeiser said. “There’s things you can’t control in a game, like the umpire, but there are things like base running that you can control and it’s completely mental.”
Wright thinks the struggles are a symptom of a lack of plate aggressiveness over the past week. So during practice yesterday, she sat the team down to watch film. She thought their reaction to the exercise was a sign her message might finally be getting through.
“When they were able to see the pitches they were taking, they got mad. … That’s exactly where we need them to be,” she said. “They know that they can handle those pitches.”
Schwartz said it’s difficult to explain her power shortage. Yet both Schmeiser and Wright believe the Terps, when playing to their potential, are able to compete with any team.
So they’re hopeful they can demonstrate that level of play against the Spartans.
“I think there’s a lot of untapped potential and we need to really complete a series right now,” Schmeiser said. “I think this weekend should be the time to do it.”
