Softball team plays first home games of the year

Anna Simons

Anna Simons

After an entire season thus far of road games, the SDSU women’s softball team begins its home schedule with a series of home games this week. The Jacks lay claim to their new on-campus facility, situated just north of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, on March 29, in the first game of a three-game series against North Dakota State.

Playing so many games on the road has been a great experience for the team.

“We have had lots of great opportunities to play some great teams in the country. I don’t think it gets much better than that,” first baseman Kiley Schwedhelm said.

While the team has enjoyed the road games, players are looking forward to playing in front of Jackrabbit fans.

“It means a lot to me to be able to play home games at SDSU. To finally be in an atmosphere where you have more fans than the opposing team, I think is a huge advantage,” Schwedhelm said.

Infielder Teresa Howell is appreciative of the fan base and the break from travel.

“This way, we can get a bigger crowd with more support. It’s also going to be really nice to not travel so much these next two weeks and to catch up on some school work. School is so important and not missing as many classes while being at home is huge. Traveling takes an extra toll on the body and no more planes and buses will be an extra bonus,” she said.

After returning from a tough tournament in Iowa this past weekend, the team holds a record of 10-18. The lineup of home games may give them an edge to complete the season with a winning record,

“There is definitely an extra adrenaline rush being on your home turf and nothing is greater than beating your number-one rival at home,” Howell said.

But not all players believe playing at home is a big advantage.

“I don’t think playing at home will really affect my performance, because I go into every game with the same approach. I go out there and play my best, by hustling and being energetic,” Schwedhelm said.

The Jackrabbits have had a very competitive schedule this season, competitive schedule this season, which is reflected in their losing record. But they don’t look at that record as a reason to hang their heads. They see it as an opportunity to improve.

“The best thing about being a Jackrabbit this season is having the opportunity to play in Oregon against a couple of the best teams in the nation. Not too many Jackrabbits can say that they got that experience,” Schwedhelm said.

Howell agrees with her teammate.

“We have a tough schedule, but it’s only to set us up for the future to have an even better success,” she said.

Facing nationally respected teams such as Oregon State, the Jacks have not backed down and they have not played scared.

Aggressive running has earned the Jacks a total of 41 stolen bases in 22 games, 20 more than their opponents. The Jacks are on place to surpass their 82 stolen bases from last season.

Jackrabbit softball can be heard on KBRK 1430 AM or by clicking on the broadcast link at www.GoJacks.com.