The Maryland softball team isn’t “trying to make any spectacular plays or ESPN moments.” The focus for coach Julie Wright’s squad is to make the routine plays, which she admitted they’ve struggled with in the first three tournaments. The Terps have committed the most errors in the Big Ten, and their .940 fielding percentage ranks 223rd out of 284 ranked Division I teams.
Entering the Missouri Tournament this weekend, infielder Jordan Aughinbaugh said the Terps have stressed defensive improvement through “a ton of reps.”
“We’re still getting comfortable,” Aughinbaugh said. “There’s a lot of movement in the infield and people still changing and it’s all about getting comfortable, knowing what everyone’s range is, who does what. I think we’re working towards that. It was only our third week out. We are making steps in the right direction.”
Maryland’s five freshmen have all contributed so far this season, and the Terps also have a new middle infield combination after Lindsey Schmeiser and Corey Schwartz graduated. Juli Strange played second while Skylynne Ellazar played shortstop in the first eight games. But at last weekend’s Mardi Gras Classic, the Terps used freshman Anna Kufta at shortstop. Ellazar, meanwhile, played third.
The Terps’ weakest defensive performance came in a 4-2 loss to Bradley on Saturday. Of the team’s eight errors during the event, five came against the Braves.
Kufta made an errant throw in the first inning, leading to Bradley’s first run, and committed a fielding error the next frame. In the Braves’ two-run fifth inning, Ellazar threw the ball away from third base. Pitcher Hannah Dewey and Kufta committed errors in the sixth frame, though he Terps escaped the one-out, bases-loaded situation without allowing a score.
Despite several Maryland fielding miscues, the team allowed just one unearned run in the defeat.
“When you make an error and you sit there and pout, the ball is coming right back to you,” Aughinbaugh said. “That’s how the game works. You just have to not think about it. Like, you made an error, there’s nothing you can do about it now except stop the next ball.”
In Maryland’s lone win last weekend against Bowling Green, pitcher Madison Martin relied on sturdy defense, which did not commit an error and completed 13 groundouts in the one-hit shutout. It was the Terps’ lone error-free game of the tournament.
“A lot of that is the responsibility of the player to make sure they are mentally preparing themselves for the game,” Wright said. “But, for us, in practice we just continue to do the drills that we know will help them, continue with pressure situations in practice so the games seem easy.”
Cleaner fielding may help Maryland as it tries to upset two more ranked opponents at the Missouri Tournament. After battling Butler, the Terps face No. 4 Oregon on Friday. They’ll also go up against No. 24 Missouri on Saturday and Sunday.
The Terps have played ranked opponents tough this year. Tenth-ranked Minnesota won, 3-2, on a walk-off single in their season opener. Maryland then upset top-ranked Florida at the Aquafina Invitational.
Last weekend, Wright’s squad suffered a 3-0 defeat to No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette.
“We rise to the challenge against teams that are ranked and are, you know, perpetually very good teams,” Strange said. “So, I mean, we have the talent, we just got to stay focused and compete every pitch, every game.”
Wright said losing can never be blamed on one specific area. But in the past, she’s cited the need for Maryland to score more runs and decrease its ERA.
As the Terps compete in their fourth nonconference tournament, they’ll look to improve their defensive play, too.
“What we are in the business of is just making sure we do the routine thing,” Wright said. “And right now, that’s been the defensive struggle. They’ve just not been making the routine play on a consistent basis.”
