Wolf Pack softball slides to 1-4 start
Junior outfielder Chelsea Barilli slides safely on base during the Wolf Pack softball team’s fall ball exhibition game with the Feather River College Eagles which Nevada won 19-0. Garrett Valenzuela/Nevada Sagebrush
After a rough two years, the Nevada softball team closed the book on its past and started a new chapter last weekend.
P: Sr. Mallary Darby
- Pitched 24 complete games last season.
DP: Soph. Sam Puzey
- Batted a team high .357 last weekend.
C: Fr. Ashley Butera
- From Saugus, Calif.
1B: Jr. Lauren Lastrapes
- Hit a team-high seven home runs last season.
2B: Soph. Caylin Campbel
- Batted .311 last season.
SS: Soph. Karley Hopkins
- Batted .353 last season in leadoff spot.
3B: Fr. Molly McWilliam
- From Anderson, Calif.
LF: Sr. Alex Arciniega
- Second season with the Wolf Pack after transferring from Western Nevada College.
CF: Soph. Sara Parsons
- Had a team-high .700 slugging percentage last weekend.
RF: Jr. Megan Fincher
- Drew a team-high 24 walks last season.
The Wolf Pack opened the 2012 season going 1-4 at the Aggie Stampede in Davis, Calif.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time,” junior outfielder Megan Fincher said. “We know what our ultimate goal is. So we’re focusing on each opponent we face every day.”
Nevada dropped its first two games against Boise State 4-0 and 7-3, respectively. The Wolf Pack followed with its first win of the season, coming from behind to defeat University of California, Davis 6-3. Nevada ended the weekend with losses to Loyola Marymount 4-0 and UC Davis 2-0.
Despite the slow start to the season, the Wolf Pack is convinced this year’s club has changed for the better.
“The expectation, the energy, the depth, the personnel on the team — I feel like it’s a lot different team from the past,” head coach Matt Meuchel said.
Nevada has finished last place in the Western Athletic Conference for the past two seasons. In that span, the Wolf Pack has lost twice as much as it has won, going 30-62. A far cry from the two seasons prior to that, when the Wolf Pack combined for a 84-37 record, qualifying for the WAC tournament finals twice in the process.
Senior outfielder Alex Arciniega said the Wolf Pack has a newfound attitude.
“We’re tired of losing,” Arciniega said. “We’re tired of feeling that way. As a whole, we decided we’re going to do something about it. From day one, it’s been a really good attitude and really good outlook on things.”
An area of concern for the Wolf Pack has to be on offense, which amounted to just nine runs in five games.
Nevada is without the big bat of junior Erin Jones. The third baseman underwent an MRI on her knee. Jones was selected to the 2012 Preseason All-WAC team after hitting .362 and driving in 21 runs last season.
“Erin was definitely one of our keys in our offense and she was dominant on defense. We’re going to do the best to pick up the slack and live up to what she would’ve been,” Fincher said.
Meuchel emphasized pitching will be a key for a successful season. Nevada will feature a rotation of five pitchers this season. After injuries derailed last season’s staff, five pitchers provides much-needed depth.
Senior right-handed ace Mallary Darby will be instrumental in the rotation’s success. She is coming off a season where she was the workhorse, pitching 214 innings. Darby pitched over 19 innings during the Aggie Stampede earning an ERA of 1.83.
“I’ve been through it all,” Darby said. “After the past couple of years, our main thing is going to be coming together. Staying together and trusting together. It’s about nine girls playing together as team.”
The Wolf Pack has a long road ahead of it. Going through the WAC will be no easy task. Four WAC rivals — Fresno State, Hawaii, BYU and New Mexico State — received votes for NCAA top-25 rankings. With major changes to the WAC looming, the stage has been set for a battle to end all battles in the conference.
An early preseason poll had the Wolf Pack slotted to finish fifth in the WAC.
“The first thing that jumps out of the page is the quality of the conference,” Meuchel said. “For us to make the five spot is what it is.
“Anybody that makes it to the conference tournament, with the conference being as strong as it is this year, is going to have a chance at winning the championship.”
Nevada is confident they can go toe-to-toe with its WAC counterparts.
“Our competitiveness is huge,” Arciniega said. “We compete every day, even against each other in scrimmages. All that competitiveness is going to filter towards other teams.”
The Wolf Pack has another thing working in its favor. Nevada will play 12 conference games at home to only nine on the road due to an uneven amount of games. Of the four teams receiving top 25 votes, Nevada will only travel to New Mexico State.
Nevada continues its new chapter when it heads to Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday to compete in the Stanford Nike Invitational.
Eric Uribe can be reached at sports@nevadasagebrush.com.
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One Response to “Wolf Pack softball slides to 1-4 start”
I have been following WolfPack softball for a lot of years, and how does this University settle for this kind of coaching. He has no clue as to what he is doing, as is evident in the last 4 years. These kids deserve better then inadequate coaching, they have enough talent to be at least capable of being in every game. He has brouoght a atmosphere of losing that should not be tolerated. I sat in the stands today during both Stanford games and noticed he doesn’t give anyone on his bench a chance to play. Horrible way to coach a team and Nevada should be ashamed they have allowed him to continue to do it.
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