Jennifer Meahan / The Current Megan Brussman, senior, business administration, focuses on first base during the first game against Central Missouri on Wednesday.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s softball team, the Tritons, has been doing extremely well this season. Hitting more home runs than any other team, the Tritons have proven that they are ready for a great season. Heading into the final games of the weekend at Northern Kentucky on Sunday, the Tritons had already hit 23 home runs in their first 18 games of the season.
The all-time record for home runs in a season for UM-St. Louis women’s softball is 32, which the team accomplished in 2007. But the 2010 Triton softball squad is on pace to shatter that record, and many others, if they can keep bashing the ball over the wall.
Katie Bartlett, senior, biology, leads the team and the entire Great Lakes Valley Conference with seven homers, while teammate JaCee Ellis, junior, business administration, is second on the team and ranks fifth in the conference with five home runs this year.
The team has been working hard on practice and getting ready for the new season. The majority of their practices had been restricted to the inside of the Mark Twain Building on North Campus.
While this may be viewed as a disadvantage by some, head women’s softball coach Chuck Sosnowski, sees it differently. In an interview, he said that practicing inside was more of an advantage because they were limited and so therefore did more hitting.
He said another advantage of being inside was getting to “hammer the hitting.” While he felt that practicing inside could be seen as more of an advantage, Coach Sosnowski does not feel the weather was a factor with regards to practice, training and the team’s performance thus far this season.
With regards to practicing inside, Coach Sosnowski said, “You can work on the same things and get the same benefits.”
Coach Sosnowski said that the Tritons have worked extremely hard in the offseason, with lots of repetition in the batting cage and more training. Bartlett, the starting catcher for the Tritons, has been an example of hard work. “She is a perfect example of what hard work can do,” Sosnowski said. “She plays very well on the team as well as keeps her GPA up.”
Earlier this season, Bartlett was so good at the plate that she was named the GLVC Player of the Week and the NFCA National Player of the Week.
Two younger players that have also been launching the ball over the fences on a regular basis are infielder Heather Arras, sophomore, undecided, and pitcher Leslie Davis, freshman, psychology. Both players have had three home runs already this season.
As for the upcoming season, Coach Sosnowski said his biggest concern is consistency at the plate. The team will have to settle in and get rid of any tension that could still be there.
Judging by the number of home runs they have so far, it looks as though the Tritons are getting rid of tension at a remarkable rate. In regards to the team’s high number of home runs and the upcoming season, Coach Sosnowski said, “I don’t feel we have to hit home runs [to win].”
The team has been incredible so far. With consistent practice, hard work and the same determination already being displayed, there is no reason why the Tritons cannot bring home more victories this season than ever before.
