Denim Millward
Sports Editor
Coming off a successful campaign in 2013, the expectations for the Idaho State University softball team by fans and opponents alike are very high.
For the first time since the resurgence of the program in 2007, the Bengals are picked to finish first in the Big Sky Conference in a preseason coaches’ poll.
Knowing the pressure that comes with high expectations, Head Coach Julie Wright acknowledged to the media that games are won on the diamond and not on the field.
Execution at a high level would be required for the Bengals to meet expectations, and that would have to start immediately.
While the weather back home in Pocatello was bitterly cold, the Idaho State University softball team’s start to the season couldn’t have been much hotter.
Riding a high-powered offense and clutch plays, the Bengals hit the ground running at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah, reeling off five consecutive wins to begin the season.
The Bengals finally cooled off in the final game of the tournament, dropping a hard-fought contest to Nebraska-Omaha 6-3. In the game, the Bengals ran into a buzzsaw by the name of Dana Eslasser.
The starting pitcher for UNO, Eslasser had yet to give up a single run in the Red Desert Classic going into the final contest with ISU. UNO jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, which eventually increased to 4-0 by virtue of two additional runs tacked on in the fifth inning.
The Bengals scored the first run on Eslasser all tournament in the sixth inning via a single to center by Kacie Burnett, which drove in teammate Katelyn Marquez.
After Vicky Galasso was walked, an RBI single by Terah Blackwell and an RBI groundout by Maddy Hickman had the Bengals within one run at 4-3.
The Mavericks were able to add on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning, and the Bengals couldn’t capitalize on a Michaela Barr single, ending the game with a Marquez line out to third base.
“We went five and one in this tournament,” Wright said. “Against this competition, [that] was a great start. They got better with every outing.”
The Bengals kicked off the tournament, which ran Feb. 6-Feb. 9, by defeating the Utah State Aggies 10-7.
The Bengals next upended Texas-Arlington 5-4, and shortly after knocked off Utah Valley 7-3. A commanding 11-5 defeat of Nevada was followed by a 10-8 nail-biter against Grand Canyon that went to extra innings.
Despite having played five games in the previous three days, the Bengals played hard but came up short against UNO.
The impressive start to the season is a great sign of things to come for the team.
Junior catcher/infielder Vicky Galasso was named to the annual Top 50 Watch List for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the beginning of the season.
Galasso, the reigning 2013 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, is the first Idaho State softball player to have such an honor.
Though Galasso is off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .278 after the first six games, that number is almost sure to increase closer to or even beyond her 2013 season batting average of .461.
Freshman Kacie Burnett is off to a blistering start, going 11-18 in the Red Desert Classic for a batting average of .611.
Freshmen and Post Falls native Dara Kolar began her collegiate softball career with a bang, homering in her first at-bat.
The home run provided a crucial run against Texas-Arlington and helped the Bengals pick up the victory.
The Bengals will take what is sure to be a much-needed week off of competition before heading to Tempe, Ariz., for the Diamond Devil Invitational Feb. 21 to 23.
The Bengals will look to continue their impressive start but will be tested by the likes of Arizona State, Boston College, Drake University and Seton Hall University.
Following the Diamond Devil Invitational, the Bengals will have a brief five-day respite before hitting the road again, this time for the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque Feb. 28 through March 2.
