Graduate pitcher Sydney Cammon has four wins on the season. Photo by Lauren Gdowski.
APRIL KIRTS | SPORTS REPORTER | akirts@butler.edu
The Butler softball team currently sits at No. 4 in the Big East Softball rankings heading into the tail end of the season. With a record of 9-6 in conference play, the Bulldogs are trailing Villanova after losing the series to UConn this past weekend.
Conference play started off strong for the Bulldogs with a 3-0 sweep over Providence and a 2-1 series win over Creighton.
Villanova won the series 2-1 over Butler to hand the Bulldogs their first series loss, and UConn overtook the Bulldogs in a 3-0 sweep to solidify their ranking of No. 1 in the Big East.
Looking towards the rest of the season, coach Scott Hall wants to keep his team energized and motivated in order to finish strong.
“[We are focused on] just consistently practicing at a level that’s going to help us improve in games,” Hall said. “So we just [have] to continue to stay focused and practice and improve.”
The constant traveling and long games can prove to be tiring for the players, but graduate student pitcher Sydney Cammon said the team gets their motivation from one another.
“I think honestly just playing for each other is what really fuels us,” Cammon said. “It’s a lot easier to get through knowing that everybody has your back on the field.”
The camaraderie and trust among the girls on the team can be pointed at as one of the reasons they work so well together on the field.
Junior outfielder Monique Hoosen explained that their team chemistry translates over into their communication during games. When facing tough pitchers, the girls will strategize together on how to be successful offensively.
“It really comes down to all of us just communicating with each other about how we’re going to approach the pitching,” Hoosen said. “The slappers will talk to each other and the power hitters will talk to each other. So, we just communicate really well about it. That’s what makes us successful.”
The players feed off of each other’s skill and drive to win as well. They all understand their abilities and the potential they have to be successful in postseason play.
Senior pitcher Mackenzie Griman emphasized that one of the team’s bigger goals is to win the Big East Tournament.
“I’d like to win the Big East Tournament as a team,” Griman said “I’ve never done that in my four years here, and I know that there’s no other team I’d rather do it with than the girls on this team.”
Hall recognizes how young this team is in comparison to their roster of seasoned players last season. They have had to work through the struggles this has brought them throughout the early part of the season.
“We truly are a young team when it comes to experience on the field, but they have been troopers,” Hall said. “We knew there were just going to be some high highs and some low lows. We just got to work through those and try and level out peaks and valleys.”
Throughout the season, the team has been aware of the likelihood they have to succeed in the postseason.
“We know our potential,” Hoosen said. “We know our skill set, and we know we can win games. We’ve worked really hard to have a good spot in [the] conference, where we are right now.”
Griman eventually wants other people to be able to acknowledge the talent this team carries.
“[We want to] prove to people that Butler softball means business, to continue the legacy of Butler softball and try to win a tournament,” Griman said.
The Bulldogs continue Big East play this upcoming weekend where they will take on Georgetown at home. Butler will then compete in the Big East Tournament, hosted by UConn, from May 10-13.
