Team talks about success in the first half of the season
Western Washington University women’s softball team has been on fire recently, winning three of their last four games. The team has taken games off some of the best teams in the conference and now stands with a record of 17-7 at the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Viking softball team has been consistently playing at a high level and winning games in a dramatic fashion.
It was just last month on March 12, star pitcher and fourth-year Anna Kasner threw a perfect game in a doubleheader versus the Saint Martin’s University Saints. Kasner needed only 71 pitches to record the third perfect game in school history and only the seventh perfect game in GNAC history.
Kasner’s teammates admire her dedication and enjoy playing defense behind her.
“One of the coolest moments so far was Anna Kasner throwing a perfect game,” Tatum Dow, a third-year shortstop, said. “She impresses me every single day, and playing defense behind her has been a pleasure.”
The team has continued to spiral off of this momentum and their recent games have been proof of that. Third-year outfielder Lauren Lo believes that team morale is at an all-time high. She believes the team has started to find its stride in the second half of the season.
“With such a successful front half of our season, it’s hard not to have great team morale right now,” Lo said. “We practice staying present and appreciating the opportunities we get.”
Western women’s softball team has played eight games over the last two weeks and ended with a 5-3 record in those games.
This included a dominant performance versus Saint Martin’s with the Vikings taking the game 8-0. Western held the Saints to just two hits all game as Kasner picked up her ninth win of the season.
Every game is a challenge and both the players and coaches know this is no time to slow down.
“We know in the GNAC, every game is a battle and we are looking forward to making some adjustments this week,” Head Coach Sheryl Gilmore said.
The Vikings also played a four-game series versus Montana State University Billings and were able to win that series 3-1. This series had some big moments and defense seemed to be the key factor in the series win, holding the Yellowjackets to eight runs over the four games.
“I would say our defense is strong; especially our pitchers and catchers,” Lo said. “In centerfield, I get a great view of the movement our pitchers put on the ball, and all the runners getting thrown out by our catchers.”
Some of the players believe this is no time to get comfortable as the second half of the season will be a challenge.
“One improvement we can continue working on is not becoming complacent,” Lo said. “With both offense and defense, the team continues to fine-tune things to ensure that we’re elevating our game as much as possible.”
The second half of the season is right around the corner for softball and the Vikings currently stand in first place in the GNAC.
Lucas Bohannon is a third-year visual journalism student and reporter for The Front. His section is sports and Esports-related news. His writing has appeared in the Current for Green River College and his Twitter is @Kingg_Luke.
Lucas Bohannon is a third-year visual journalism student and reporter for The Front. His section is sports and Esports-related news. His writing has appeared in the Current for Green River College and his Twitter is @Kingg_Luke.
