Softball team looking to improve

By Tim Rath

Contributing Reporter

As cliche as it may seem, all too often, coaches tend to use disrespect as a motivational tool. Some even goso far as to hunt for it.



If he chooses to, Oakland University softball head coach Glenn MacDonald won’t have to search hard. 



“My peers picked us to finish fifth in the conference,” he said of the Summit League preseason softball poll, announced by the league office Friday. “We didn’t even get one first-place vote — it surprised me a little bit, seeing as we didn’t lose a lot in terms of talent, we had a very young team … and we’re bringing back the best pitcher in the conference. Evidently, they all think they’re going to have her number.”



Last year, it was the Mid-Con Tournament that was surprised. 



With a record of 21-36 and playing teams with better records, the Golden Grizzlies were not expected to advance very far. 

Instead, they defied expectations, reaching the Mid-Con Tournament Championship game on the strength of an All-Tournament Team-worthy performance from junior pitcher Jessica Granger. 



“Last year, when Jess threw, we were always in a game,” MacDonald said. “She wants the ball in the circle all the time. Hitting is where we lacked, because of our age. We’ve worked hard on that this off-season. I look for us to be a stronger hitting team this year.”



Although they lost in the final to Southern Utah University, MacDonald said that those rejected odds are just a preview of things to come.



“We reached our goal last year, which was to make the conference tournament,” MacDonald said. “This year, we’d like to be the team that wins the championship trophy.”



As MacDonald alluded to, the Grizzlies’ quest for the championship will be aided by the team’s experienced roster. Six starters from last year’s team remain, including second team All-Mid-Con shortstop Julie Owen.



“(Owen) is the sparkplug and the leader on this team … she’s the catalyst,” MacDonald said. “She never gets caught ‘watching’ the game; she’s in it for a full seven innings. She has great range … I’ve moved her to second base from shortstop, to take away from right-handed batters hitting opposite field.”



Also returning a year older and wiser are sophomores Angela Righetti and Audrey Sabourin. Although they labored at the plate last year, MacDonald is counting on improvement.



“Audrey didn’t hit the ball so well last year, but she’s crushing it now,” he said. “(Righetti) was struggling for most of the year, but when it got down to the key time of the year, she was hitting .300 for me. I think both of them will have a great year.”



To replace Owen in the field, MacDonald is depending upon a pair of sophomore shortstops, Ashley Sullivan and Hayley Emerson. 



According to the head coach, a competition for playing time will ensure better hitting from that position later in the season.

“I’m going to alternate them every other game. Whoever has the better bat will probably win the starting role for conference games,” he said. “But they’re both ready to step in this year. They’re doing great at the fielding aspect of it. That’s what has allowed me to move Julie over to second base.”



Another area of focus for the Grizzlies this off-season has been speed. They finished last season with 33 stolen bases, far below their opponents’ combined total of 63. MacDonald and his coaching staff recruited to improve upon this number, coming up with two left-handed freshman outfielders that they hope can be immediate impact players.



class=”Apple-style-span” style=”line-height: 10px;”>”Kelsey Krych holds the national high school record for stolen bases. She’s a very talented outfielder as well,” MacDonald said. “Alyssa Deacon was also in the top-10 for the state of Michigan in stolen bases. Both will get a lot of playing time this year, because they add what we were missing in speed and left-handed hitting.”



The last area of focus for the Grizzlies’ off-season has been pitching depth. The team relied heavily on Granger, and in making the First Team All-Mid-Con Conference, she delivered. 



However, MacDonald said that the load had to be lightened for his ace in order to take the next step.



“A lot of the games last season, [that] we lost through weather reasons were made up at the end of the season. A lot of our pitching staff was (injured), so the brunt fell on Jessica’s shoulders. This year, things are different,” he said.



“I have six pitchers on staff this year,” he said. “We went out and recruited some very good pitching, so Jessica’s going to have some help. They’re freshmen, so they may not be able to go a complete seven innings, but with two or three throwing together—Jessica’s not going to have to have the brunt of it.”



Granger posted outstanding numbers last season, finishing with a 2.34 earned run average to compliment her 19-16 record and 166 strikeouts. However, with lowered expectations and more rest, MacDonald expects an even better season from her.



 “If you look back at our schedule, we lost games (by a score of) 1-0 in 12 innings, 2-1 in 13 innings, and those were killers, because we couldn’t generate that one run. But for her to pitch that strong, and with our improved hitting; I honestly feel that Jessica’s going to win 25 games,” he said.



As MacDonald continued discussing Granger, the topic of disrespect came up again.



“One of the best games she threw was against Tennessee, even though we lost 7-0. At one point, they had the bases loaded, she worked a 3-2 count on their cleanup hitter, and threw a strikeout pitch. Because it was Tennessee, that ump gave her ball four. But she can play anyone; nobody intimidates her,” he said.



The Grizzlies will kick off the season Friday at the Georgia Southern Tournament. Their first home game is March 29 against Western Illinois.