Softball team competes in Under Armour Invite in Florida
The CMU softball team leads the rush of students to Florida on spring break, competing in the Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
The team opens the weekend with a doubleheader Friday, starting with Penn State at 4 p.m. and followed by Robert Morris University at 7 p.m. As the weekend progresses, it also plays Fordham and UAB in a doubleheader Saturday, and Radford on Sunday.
Central Coach Margo Jonker said the team has eased pressure by avoiding expectations.
“Expectations put pressure on a team," she said. "Our goal, on the other hand, is to get different players in and see where we stand, and try some different pitching early in the season.”
Junior Pitcher Kari Seddon (2-1) is the projected starter for Friday in the game against Penn State. Her 2.50 ERA leads the team in pitching this season after missing last season due to injury.
Jonker said the team worked at practice to better utilize certain aspects of its game.
“We worked on our base running, to take full advantage of our Team’s speed,” she said. “We also did some drills to sharpen our hitting and keep our D consistent.”
Tiger Invitational
The team finished 1-3 in the Tiger Invitational February 19-21 in Auburn, Ala., losing its first three games before getting its first win of the season.
In its closing game of the tournament, the team shut out Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 15-0 , led by sophomore Molly Coldren, who was 3-for-4 with five RBI’s, including a three-run home run.
With her performance, Coldren won this week’s Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, the first of her career.
“The team played pretty well its first time back on the field, and hit extremely well the last game,” Jonker said. “I felt we got better each game.”
