Softball heads to UTA Maverick Invitational
Softball opened its season last weekend with performances worthy of its legacy, and travels to Arlington, Texas this weekend to continue the early season tournament schedule.
The Chippewas will open the tournament with two games on Friday, playing South Dakota State and Missouri State.
South Dakota State struggled last season, finishing with a 16-30 record, and opened the 2014 season by dropping three of four games last weekend at the Cyclone Invitational in Ames, Iowa.
This matchup bodes well for the Chippewas, as SDSU’s offense has yet to consistently produce runs, failing to score more than two runs in three of their first four games. While SDSU’s offense has struggled, CMU’s defense has flourished, allowing six runs in four games.
With CMU's combined ERA of 1.5 thus far, head coach Margo Jonker lauded her defense’s performance.
“When a defense is as strong as ours, our pitchers can throw with a lot more confidence,” she said.
CMU's infielders must also play well. With experienced juniors Trista Cox and CarolAnn Sexauer on the left side of the infield, the Chippewa defense will be a major factor.
The infield has experience and ability, Jonker said.
“Cox has a gun for an arm," Jonker said. "She learned the position well and plays it with a lot of tenacity. CarolAnn has a lot of range, and she has a great arm. We have two excellent arms on the left side of the infield.”
Missouri State went 22-30 in 2013, and opened 2014 by losing two of three to Georgia Tech.
The Chippewas take on University of Texas-Arlington on Saturday. UT Arlington, who took three of five at the Red Desert Classic in St. George Utah last weekend, had a record of 25-28 in 2013.
