The ETSU softball team was prepared to play the make-up game against SC State on Saturday, but due to the cold weather forecast, the doubleheader was canceled.
Despite this missed opportunity to play a non-conference game that would have been good preparation for the remainder of the season, the Bucs are ready to play at Morehead State on April 12.
The Bucs are having their best softball start in years and are capitalizing on big opportunities. They brought home two big conference wins against conference rival Furman on April 2, with six homeruns contributing to those victories.
Taylor Carter (Brazil, Ind.) is a first baseman and pitcher who was involved in the homeruns, scoring in both games against Furman. As a junior, she said that the team this year made the decision that they would be better, and it has made all the difference in their play.
“I think our team has a different outlook and a different mentality than in the past,” Carter said.
At the start of the season, coach Brad Irwin was excited about the pitching that would be added to the program, which would give the team an edge against the tough opponents.
“They have given us a chance to win the majority of games and keep us in it from a pitching standpoint,” Irwin said.
Carter is one of seven pitchers the team has this year, and they are all being utilized.
“We use two or three pitchers a game, and I think that really throws off the other team,” Carter said. “It keeps them on their toes so they don’t get a streak going.”
So far, the Bucs are 12-13 overall with a 3-3 conference record, holding the third place spot behind Western Carolina, to whom the Bucs lost two games and won one game against.
Their next conference game will be April 16-17 at Mercer University. Then, they will be back home on April 20 to take on Gardner-Webb.
