Notre Dame eager to kick off home play against Valpo
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Writer
The Notre Dame women's softball team was welcomed back to campus after a very successful road trip to sunny California over spring break with a South Bend snowstorm.
Ironically, on the first few days of spring, Jack Frost covered Ivy Field with enough snow to cancel the team's first home game of the year.
The snowed-out doubleheader against Western Michigan, scheduled for Tuesday, will now be played Thursday afternoon. The Irish will kick off their season at home with a twin bill against the Valparaiso Warriors (2-12) today at 4 p.m.
"The weather has really been rough around here for us," said coach Liz Miller. "We weren't even able to practice on dirt for the first time until last Tuesday, but the girls have played very tough and not let the weather affect them."
After the long road trip, the team received some well-deserved rest before the upcoming home stand.
"We had a really good spring, and the break allowed us to take some time off to regroup and rest," said senior captain Jennifer Sharron. "I don't even think the layoff between games hurt us at all because we are so excited to be getting back to the games, especially since we will finally be at home."
Notre Dame has gotten off to an impressive 18-3 start on the arms of Sharron, who owns a 10-2 record with a 2.08 ERA, and freshman pitcher Kristin Schmidt. Schmidt has been dominant so far this year, posting a 0.95 ERA and an 8-1 record in which opponents batted an anemic .192.
"Coming in this year and being put right into the games has been kind of overwhelming, but I have started to settle into things," said Schmidt. "Playing with such a great team around me has made the process much easier."
The two pitchers never fail to acknowledge the support they get from their teammates.
"Our defense makes it so much easier for me on the mound," says Sharon. "They are always behind you with a great play if you make a bad pitch. And the way that our offense has been scoring so many runs, you don't have to worry if you make a few mistakes."
As a team, the Irish boast a .298 batting average, and are led by junior Jenny Kriech, hitting a solid .391. Junior Jerrah Myers has also been explosive at the plate, batting .390 and leading the team in RBIs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Valparaiso has struggled out of the gates this season, starting off to a 2-12 record. While they have posted an impressive team ERA of 3.26, the Warriors have only managed to bat .209 as a team, while allowing their opponents to hit for a powerful .297 average. They are lead by freshman catcher Monica Rowan, who is batting only .275 on the season.
These two games will be the first in a set of four doubleheaders at home for the Irish.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, March 28, 2001
