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RedHawks enter conference tournament with confidence

The team has won four of its last five games and has two pitchers it can rely on.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 12:43 AM Friday, April 30, 2010

OXFORD — It was back in February that the Mid-American Conference’s softball coaches made Miami University the preseason favorite to earn a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

One thing has happened since then, and one thing hasn’t happened.

What has? The RedHawks have gone 8-6 in the MAC, hardly the record you’d expect from a team that won last year’s conference tourney with four wins in four days.

What hasn’t? None of the coaches have said anything about changing their minds about the RedHawks and this year’s tournament, scheduled for May 12-15 in Akron.

Certainly not Miami coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly, whose team has won four out of five and will try to keep the heat on this weekend when it plays four games at Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.

“I’m confident they’ll keep (the momentum) going,” Schoenly said.

That confidence comes from a RedHawks team whose pitching and defense, two things that are essential in fastpitch, have improved over a 2009 season which saw Miami chalk up its first-ever NCAA tournament win.

Last year the RedHawks had one clear-cut ace going into the tournament. This year it isn’t so clear.

This year they might have two.

Sophomore pitcher Jessica Simpson, last year’s tournament MVP, isn’t winning as many games as she did in 2009, but her earned run average is significantly lower.

Senior hurler Meredith Linch, meanwhile, already has matched her number of wins (nine) from last year and her ERA also has dropped.

“Meredith is actually in a lot better position than last year,” Schoenly said. “She is significantly improved. It’s nice to have two of them ready to go all the time.

“We’ve had Meredith pitching the first game (in recent two-game series) to take the pressure off Jessica, and she has shined,” the Miami coach said. “And I still have a lot of confidence in Jessica.”

It helps to have a strong defense and Miami has one. Schoenly said it has been “significantly better,” especially with the way Jenna McGivney has played at catcher.

“McGivney has been throwing out runners left and right,” Schoenly said. “She has thrown out 26-of-40, and in the MAC she’s thrown out 9-of-14. It just kills the big innings when she does that.”

Schoenly added that second baseman Meghan Mawn, third baseman Daniela Torres and shortstop Sarah Billstrom “have done a great job” on defense.

Miami’s top three hitters also happen to be Mawn (.375), Torres (.375) and Billstrom (.289).

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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