Elon University softball coach Kathy Bocock fumed about the first game of the Phoenix’s April 6 double-header against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The game that Elon lost 14-11 on the way to sitting on the bad end of a series sweep at the hands of the Mocs.
She was actually more upset with the umpiring.
[quote]We’re still sitting OK. Everybody in the SoCon is very competitive. No one is going to lay down, no matter what the record is. -Kathy Bocock, softball coach[/quote]
“The first game was just unbelievable,” she said. “The Chattanooga paper did an article talking about the umpire. He was unbelievable. We have two or three of the best pitchers in the conference. We had walks, nobody could get strikes and it became a hitfest.”
In their combined three and two-thirds innings on the mound, Elon senior pitcher Erin O’Shea and Chattanooga freshman pitcher Taylor Deason gave up a total of 13 walks. The Chattanooga Times Free Press quoted Chattanooga senior catcher Vivan Morimoto as saying, “The [strike zone] was a little off today, but it was off for both teams. It kind of helped the batters, but it didn’t help the pitchers very much because they couldn’t hit their spots.”
But Bocock found other frustrating things about the weekend. Elon lost its games 14-11, 4-3 on April 6, 9-2 April 7 to Chattanooga and dropped a 5-0 decision to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte April 4.
This makes five straight losses going into a double-header April 11 against the James Madison University Dukes and a
trio of games at home against the Appalachian State University Mountaineers April 14-15.
“The girls were really down last night (Friday), frustrated,” Bocock said. “(Chattanooga’s) one of the top teams in the conference and we knew we could play with them.”
One number that plagued the Phoenix was 21, the number of runners left on base against the second best team in the Southern Conference.
“We get these runners on and we don’t score our runners,” Bocock said. “We could have capitalized by scoring our runners.”
The Phoenix now sit at 18-10 overall and 6-6 in the SoCon. Bocock is encouraged with where the team is now, considering the youth on the roster (the Phoenix only has *** seniors).
“We started off really fast and really strong and now we’re in a lull,” she said. “We’re still sitting in a very good place and everybody thinks we’re doing awful. Personally, I think we’re in a good place. Sometimes you have to lose a little bit to humble yourself. I’d rather it be happening now to get us where we need to be to peak at the right time.”
Elon will try to rebound first against JMU, who is currently 20-20 on the season and 8-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix lost a 7-4 contest to the Dukes Feb. 18 as part of the Phoenix Softball Clash.
“It will give us opportunity to see younger pitchers and see defensive groups together,” Bocock said. “Mid-week games are games for us to work on our game and make ourselves better. We’re always trying to win - that’s our first priority - but we’re going to get other kids some field time to give them experience for the SoCon.”
The Mountaineers will come to town for the first Appalachian State-Elon series this year, a series which gives the Phoenix an opportunity to improve its SoCon standing against one of the weaker teams in the conference, according to Bocock.
“They’re down in the bottom right now,” Bocock said. “We’re still sitting OK. Everybody in the SoCon is very competitive. No one is going to lay down, no matter what the record is."
Bocock said it is important for the team to continue to grow. With just three seniors, it will be crucial for the younger players to step up for Elon.
“A lot of mistakes we’re making are mental mistakes right now,” she said. “The mistakes that they’re making, they need to continue to grow and learn from mistakes that we’re making right now. We need to keep moving forward and keep believing in what we’re working towards.”