Heading into 2019, coach Julie Wright knew the Maryland softball team would face a different learning curve from previous seasons. The Terps went 18-37 last year — and that was before they lost eight players to graduation and transfer in the offseason.
After a 2-3 performance in the first tournament of the year, Wright already has a long list of skills she’d like the Terps to improve on. Still, the fourth-year coach is remaining patient with her young squad while it prepares for the Houston Invitational, which starts Friday.
“The youth can hurt you at times, and we need to make sure that we do the little things consistently, and I think that just comes with experience,” Wright said.
[Read more: Transfers Victoria Galvan and Micaela Abbatine feel right at home with Maryland softball]
Maryland returns just three starters from last year — infielders Anna Kufta and Bailey Boyd and outfielder Amanda Brashear. In the Trojan Invitational last weekend, five freshmen got significant playing time, with catcher Gracie Voulgaris and infielder Taylor Okada starting all five games.
With so many of the Terps lacking experience at the collegiate level, the upperclassmen on the team are helping them adjust and correct their mistakes.
“Not only are they learning, but we’re learning how to help them, too,” Kufta said. “We’re all learning together.”
Wright hopes to see her pitchers walk fewer than 22 hitters — the amount they gave up in their first tournament — against Nicholls State and Houston this weekend.
Fourteen of those free passes came Saturday against No. 9 Alabama and Troy. Maryland gave up 10 runs in each of those games.
“I think the pitchers were extending the play a little bit too much, and they didn’t need to do that early in the game,” Wright said. “That’s something you do later in the game as an umpire adjusts to what you’re throwing, so I think they’ll be better with that this week.”
[Read more: Maryland softball is making frequent pitching changes to plug the gap left by Ryan Denhart]
In the wake of stalwart Ryan Denhart’s departure, Wright has leaned on her young pitchers early. Redshirt freshman Victoria Galvan pitched for 7 ⅓ innings through three games, giving up four runs against the the Trojans and Crimson Tide.
Wright praised Galvan for coming into the first game and making an immediate impact on the mound, but Galvan felt she had room for improvement, especially after getting rid of first-game jitters.
“It might have looked good … but I don’t think that was my top,” Galvan said. “Definitely working on feeling good about my performance physically not results-wise.”
Freshman pitcher Amelia Jarecke also made her Maryland debut against Alabama and Troy. While the two squads knocked around her fellow Terps, Jarecke sustained the heavy firepower and pitched two scoreless innings.
On the flip side, Wright wants the Terps to leave fewer runners on base. Despite hitting .298 throughout the five-game tournament, Maryland scored just 13 runs total thanks to 26 stranded runners — 10 of which came against Murray State in the season-opener.
If the team can improve on using the center of the field, think “gap to gap” and attack manageable pitches better, Wright said, the hitters can become more effective when runners are in scoring position.
Her team’s finish to last weekend’s Trojan Classic was encouraging for Wright. After giving up 10 runs in each loss to Troy and Alabama on Saturday, the Terps rebounded on Sunday with a 3-2 extra-inning win over Murray State.
“Winning a tight game at the end will help them more than anything,” Wright said. “They didn’t get too tight; they just kept their cool and kept making things happen. I think that’s the mark of a great team.”
