Signs of success
With five freshman starters and a new coaching staff, it didn’t initially appear the Whitworth College softball team would improve on third-place finishes in the Northwest Conference the last two seasons.
But this season, Whitworth has shown just how deceiving appearances can be.
The Pirates (24-10, 19-5) sit one game behind two-time defending NWC champion Linfield (27-6, 20-4) entering this weekend’s four-game series in McMinnville, Ore. If Whitworth wins at least three games, it will earn its first conference title and its first trip to the NCAA Division III tournament in the program’s nine-year history.
Head coach Fuzzy Buckenberger, who has coached five women’s national championship teams, has brought a simple approach to his first year as a college varsity coach, stressing the fundamental aspects of the game.
“I really believe that what took us a notch higher was fundamentals,” Buckenberger said. “I know that I’m a fundamental addict. They’re the best part of the game.”
But along the way, Buckenberger has done some things that aren’t so fundamental. One major shakeup was in the batting order, where he moved sophomore shortstop Heather Case from the middle to the leadoff spot.
“What (Buckenberger) talked to me about is putting me first because I always make contact with the ball,” Case said. “If we can get someone on base, he can count on the other teammates to bring me around.”
Speed is typically a premium at the top of the order, and Case is among the first to say she’s not the fastest player out there. But she hits the ball well, to the tune of a team-high .407 batting average and .472 on-base percentage with four home runs and 17 extra-base hits.
Case is one of the many young players who have integrated themselves into the lineup. True freshmen Sarah Froman (.314) and Sara Rylaarsdam (.303) have both stepped into the everyday lineup and hit better than .300, and Froman has 22 RBIs.
“A lot of people, I wouldn’t say they look down, but they didn’t think of us as highly because it was a fresh team,” Case said. “I think we used that to our advantage, saying that even though we’re all new players and we’re a young team, that doesn’t mean can’t perform to the ability of other teams that have been together for a while.”
The Pirates’ youth movement, combined with the veteran bats of junior catcher Lindsay Davis (.292 average, .415 on-base percentage) and senior second baseman Kristin Hanson (.284, team-high 26 RBIs), have provided more than enough run support for a solid pitching staff.
The Pirates’ success in the circle starts with senior captain Jo Sonnett, a two-time All-NWC pitcher. Sonnett has a conference-high 17 wins this season – giving her a school-record 57 – to go with the most innings pitched (184) and strikeouts (142) in the NWC. She is accompanied by sophomore Jennifer Eckhoff, who has given Sonnett some rest while earning a 7-4 record.
The duo’s dominance was crucial to the Pirates’ 13-game winning streak earlier this month. Sonnett threw four shutouts and Eckhoff two during the run, which included sweeps of conference foes George Fox, Puget Sound and Lewis & Clark.
Their best effort came in a tripleheader against LC on April 14. Eckhoff threw a one-hitter in the second game, while Sonnett threw a pair of five-inning no-hitters, including a perfect game in the nightcap.
“We hit the ball well and we played pretty solid defense,” Buckenberger said, “(and) when (Sonnett) walked onto the field, we knew we have a great opportunity to win.”
But no matter who’s hitting or pitching Saturday and Sunday, the Pirates have a tough task ahead. Linfield is riding a nine-game winning streak, and it is 14-2 this season at home.
The Pirates have never won a series against the Wildcats, and Linfield owns a 26-4 lead in the all-time series. But all four games last March were one-run affairs, with Linfield taking the first three.
Despite the odds, Buckenberger believes his team can win three – if not all four – games in the series, and the players remain confident.
“It’s gonna be a tough weekend for both games,” Sonnett said. “They’re not exactly a dominating team, but they are a very good defensive and offensive team.
“But so are we.”