Picked to finish seventh in the conference preseason poll, a group of power hitters are determined to finish above .500.
The Fort Lewis College softball team (5-9, 1-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) got out to a shaky start in their conference schedule by dropping three of four games at Regis. The Skyhawks look to gain some momentum in the conference when they play a six-game pod Sunday and Monday in their “home” openers.
“The girls are excited to get back on the field and play hard at home,” said FLC head coach Kira Zeiter, whose “home” games were bumped to Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, N.M., because of the weather. “We are excited to be hosting these pod games. Personally, I love when you can play two different teams in a weekend.”
Zeiter’s club enters the pod batting .311 through 14 games. FLC has hit 10 home runs already this season while being led by preseason all-conference third baseman Chelsea Rodriguez. The FLC senior is hitting for a .519 average, and four of her 14 hits have been homers. Rodriguez also has three doubles and 12 runs batted in.
FLC finds more power in the bat of senior outfielder Destinee DeHerrera, who has a pair of home runs and a .455 batting average to start the season. DeHerrera has 10 RBIs on 20 hits, five of which have been doubles.
“The whole meat part of our lineup has been stellar so far this year. We are looking forward to all of them continuing that along with Chelsea,” Zeiter said. “What we want to continue success with is the strong hitting throughout the lineup.”
The Skyhawks also will see valuable production at the plate from junior Myndee Thompson, a .400 hitter with a home run, two doubles and 11 RBIs.
Sophomore Missy Fundora has home-run power with two home runs. Redshirt freshman Nikki Klepfer is a solid contact hitter who is batting .571 through eight games.
“I think we have a big mixture in the lineup between girls who hit the long ball and girls who play small ball,” Zeiter said. “A few years ago, we were really successful with the long ball. This year, we want to keep more of that balance.”
The pitching circle will be dominated by sophomore Victoria Johnson and junior Kiley Raica. Both pitchers already have earned RMAC Pitcher of the Week honors this season.
Johnson (2-3) boasts a 2.93 earned run average but has surrendered 34 hits in 28 2/3 innings. She has 11 strikeouts and eight walks.
Raica (2-5) has a 5.05 ERA and has allowed 50 hits and 37 runs in 34 2/3 innings of work. She has struck out 17 and walked only five.
FLC freshman Olivia Goldberg and junior Kate Watkins also will see time in the circle this season.
“All four pitchers are very different. They all bring a mixture of pitches and different ways of attacking batters,” Zeiter said. “We will be successful in the conference if all four pitch well.”
Making matters difficult on the FLC pitchers in the early going has been tough competition against No. 14 Texas Woman’s University and a few other tough Texas teams. The Skyhawks also have committed 33 defensive errors behind their pitchers this season.
“We all want to play solid softball in all aspects. From fielding to base running,” Zeiter said. “We have had too many mistakes so far, but we are working really hard on improving.”
Despite the tough start early on, FLC can get things going in the right direction with games against Adams State (5-8, 4-0 RMAC) and Western New Mexico (3-14, 1-3 RMAC) in the next few days. Adams State was picked to finish third in the RMAC preseason poll while receiving one first-place vote. The Skyhawks can turn some heads if they can pick up a win against the Grizzlies.
“Any game in this conference could be any team’s day any given day. That’s why you go out every day and play hard,” Zeiter said. “We have played Adams a lot the last year or so. We are familiar with each other, and it is always a good battle.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
