Taylor Meeks
Sports Writer
White, green and yellow paint decorated the walls. Nets hung from the ceiling, turf enclosed within and dangling fans cooling the air. Several numbered cages plastered with advertisements were filled with multiple players, and the sound of softballs connecting with metal bats echoed throughout.
Idaho State University softball practice was underway at the Sandlot Academy. The players were perfecting their individual skills for the challenging weekend ahead.
Holding practice in an indoor facility, like the Sandlot, Reed or Holt, is typical for ISU’s softball team. In the winter time, a field that is not covered in snow or soaking wet is hard to come by.
“That’s probably the biggest struggle we face being an outdoor sport that plays on dirt,” said senior pitcher Mariah Mulcahy. “We are forced to practice in something that is not really our playing conditions. We will never play indoors like this, so for us it’s mentally adjusting to the fact that we are just getting our reps in.”
Softball has become an increasingly popular sport in recent years. A variant of baseball, the game is similar in all aspects except that softball is played at a faster pace and with a larger ball.
Playing on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, there is less time for the base runner to get to first while the opponent fields the ball, and the fielder has less time to field the ball while the opponent is running down to first base.
Just like in baseball, there are nine players on the field from each team, and they play seven innings. The individual positions of pitchers, hitters, fielders and catchers mesh together to form one solid team unit.
“It’s completely a team sport,” Mulcahy said. “You cannot be selfish at all in this game. In some other sports, you may be able to, but with softball there is no option.”
The ISU softball team has had a particularly tough preseason schedule, playing teams from the power five conferences such as University of Louisville. After going head-to-head with the ACC school, the Bengals were triumphant with a 3-0 win.
“I think we have a lot of confidence now after having those big wins under our belts,” said redshirt-sophomore Frankie Tago. “I think for a lot of us, we play not just for ourselves, but for the community, for the school, for our families back home, so it’s pretty big for us to come out on top.”
After playing three of their five preseason tournaments, the Bengals hold a 6-9 record with a winning percentage of .400. They are currently ranked third in the Big Sky Conference with this preseason record.
In the conference coaches’ preseason poll, the Bengals were picked to finish sixth out of the seven teams. For head coach Candi Letts, the ranking pushes the team to go out and prove what they are capable of doing.
“I am glad because I know that if we play the way we can, we should be the top three for sure,” Letts said. “It’s just where the chips fall when we get into the conference schedule. Then, we will really show and separate.”
The Bengals were Big Sky Conference Regular Season Champions in 2015, with a conference record of 17-4. However, the team has never won a conference tournament before.
Despite having a drought of success, the ISU softball team is looking to change that this season. Having grit, determination and playing as one unit, the team is confident that they will dominate in the Big Sky.
“I feel like we are really gritty, we just get things done,” Mulcahy said. “We all come to the field with a very positive mindset, wanting to win, knowing that we can win and that we are going to do what it takes to win. I think that is something a lot of athletes have, but within our team, we are out to prove people wrong, to kill the competition, to really make a big difference and to set the tone for following years.”
The Bengals have two more preseason tournaments before Big Sky Conference play begins. This weekend, they go to Washington state for the Washington Husky Classic and will face top 25 teams such as University of Washington and Ohio State.
The team will play its first home matches on March 19, 23 and 24. They will face off with Utah Valley University and then play their first conference game against Portland State.
“We are playing consistent,” Letts said. “We are consistently competing, we’re not falling off, we’re not getting too high or too low, we are just playing.”
