Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

SOFTBALL | Hoyas Struggle at Charleston Invitational

GUHOYAS
Sophomore catcher Sera Stevens has started 20 of the team’s 22 games this season, batting .240 with three runs batted in.

A 1-3 display at the Charleston Invitational in Charleston, S.C., is not how the softball team hoped to finish its non-conference schedule last weekend. Georgetown (7-20) lost 10-2 to East Illinois (20-8) and 2-0 and 4-0 to Jacksonville State (11-14). Toward the end of three-day weekend, the Hoyas pulled out a narrow 1-0 victory against Texas (13-13) to avoid a third shutout.

In each of the three losses last weekend, Georgetown had at least seven hits. The team had three errors against Eastern Illinois and one during the first game against Jacksonville. By the second Jacksonville game, the team had no errors, while Jacksonville had one. Still, the difference in the game was Jacksonville’s ability to capitalize on their opportunities with runners in scoring position and Georgetown’s inability to do the same.

Head Coach Pat Conlan said that the Hoyas might be better than what their record signals, but they need to bat more efficiently to have something to show for their otherwise solid play.

“We played good defense, we hit the ball well, we just couldn’t score a run,” Conlan said. “Sometimes I have to look at the record with a different set of glasses and say, this is where we probably should be if we can do a few of these little things.”

Despite the string of losses, the team is hitting and catching better than it was at the start of the season. Conlan noted the team notched several hits over the weekend but struggled to convert them into runs.

“We’re hitting the ball. We’re just leaving a lot of people on base,” Conlan said. “This weekend we averaged, like, leaving eight people on base, so we need to find a way to get those eight people, across the whole plate.”

Those weaknesses aside, Conlan is optimistic heading into the conference tournaments, claiming the nerves and pressure that once plagued the new players are gone. Conlan has seen her players improve in many facets of their game.

“We talk a lot about being more intentional about some of the things that we need to do,” Conlan said. “I don’t look at our record as an indication of where we are. We’ve played a lot of good games in that mix and if not come out on top. Even this past weekend, we lost a couple games where we threw very well.”

The few months of experience helped the new players on the team settle into a routine and learn to balance life on and off the field. Conlan thinks this balance has helped decrease the pressure they put on themselves and by extension, improved their play on the field.

Looking toward the conference games, Conlan hopes to build on all the experiences the team has gained during the first half of the season. Having faced a grueling non-conference schedule, she is not frustrated by the team’s 7-20 record.

“At this point is it, is it a matter of just being patient and sticking with it,” she said. “Right now, our record is zero and zero. … The conference is really where our focus needs to be. So what’s happened in the past is certainly a great place to learn and I think we saw a lot of good things. We saw a lot of things we needed to work on but it’s a new season for us.”

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