It’s safe to say that the No. 6 Emporia State softball team has grown up away from home.
The Hornets will play their home opener at 2 p.m. today against Minn.-Crookston, but that doesn’t mean that the season just began.
Already, ESU has had 21 games away from Trusler, posting a 15-6 record.
“We’ve gotten lots of experience,” ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner said, “and we’re learning how to be a team again.”
That has especially been the case as of late.
ESU enters with a five-game winning streak after going 5-0 in last week’s St. Edward’s Tournament in Austin, Texas. The Hornets have also won eight of their last nine after starting the season 7-5.
“Obviously, the hardest part is getting consistency in practice and games,” Bredbenner said. “Our practices were inside for a majority of the time early.”
Since then, ESU has continued to play better, with the biggest difference coming from the pitching staff.
Though Bredbenner said her pitchers were “not ready” at the beginning of the year, they showed just how good they could be last week at the St. Edward’s Tournament, allowing just three runs in five games.
Courtney Reed also contributed in a pair of no-hitters, pitching one by herself and combining with Jenna Potter for the other.
“They’ve definitely been doing a great job,” ESU third baseman Megan Davison said. “They’ve been letting hitters put it in play, and our defense has been strong.”
Meanwhile, Davison has helped pace the offense, leading the team in home runs (4) and RBI (16).
Jennifer Dace and Chelsea McClernon also have been solid at the plate, entering with averages above .350.
“They’ve shown improvement,” Bredbenner said, “and gotten better every game.”
ESU has been fortunate to get in as many games as it has in preparation for conference play in two weeks.
Some other MIAA teams still have not played 10 games this season.
The Hornets will get their fill of action this weekend, playing host to the Best Western/Rodeway Inn ESU Tournament from Friday through Sunday.
ESU will play Central Oklahoma at 4 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Winona State at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, and Cameron at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Trusler.
“It’ll definitely be nice to sleep in our own beds and be in front of our home crowd,” Davison said. “We’ve had great fan support on the road. It’ll be exciting to see who all comes out this weekend.”
Reed takes pitcher
of the week honor
Courtney Reed was named the season’s first Worth/MIAA pitcher of the week, the conference announced Wednesday.
Reed, a 5-foot-10 pitcher from Bonner Springs, is 8-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 12 appearances for ESU.
The senior has struck out at least 10 batters in each of her seven-inning complete games. She struck out a season-high 16 hitters in a 3-1 win over No. 19 Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 16.
Last week, she was involved in two no-hitters — getting one by herself against St. Mary’s and combining for another the next day with teammate Jenna Potter against New Mexico Highlands.
Reed is a graduate of Basehor-Linwood High School.