With the season opener on Feb. 8 and their first home game in March, the University of Tampa women’s softball team is ready to improve and make the postseason again. Currently ranked No. 8 after preseason, Coach Kanter is preparing the team to continue doing what they know and looking to achieve their goal of returning to playoffs.
“Every year our goal is to make postseason,” said Kanter. “The problem is that we have never passed the first round of postseason. Our strength will be our pitching and then I would say our defense then hitting. Hitting has always been a little bit of a weakness in the past and I think we are going to follow right into that but hopefully it will be good enough to get us where we need to be.”
Seniors Brie Walton and Stacy Piagno also share the same goals with Coach Kanter about making the postseason.
“Obviously the ultimate goal is nationals, to win a national championship or at least make it there this year,” stated Walton. “The past two years we have made it to regionals so I think taking it one step at a time, one conference weekend at a time, not looking at the big picture and just doing the little things will help us. We have a scrappy team so I think we have a good chance.”
“My goal would be to make nationals and win a national championship,” added Piagno. “I think that that is something not a lot of people get to do so I think that it would be awesome to be able to make it to the national championship game.”
With the goal of postseason in sight, the team is ready to start off the season strong and to continue improving from last year with fixing the little things.
“Preparing as far as away games and home games is the same,” said Piagno. “We just have to go into each game with an intensity no matter who we are playing and just be the best that we can be and don’t play down to anyone’s level just play to our best. We just need to back up our pitchers and put a couple more runs on the board and I think we will be just fine.”
Last season Deanna Henriott was the main pitcher for the Spartans but this season Kayla Cox will be leading the team on the mound. With Cox taking on a new leadership role, the team knows that she will embody it and be great.
“I definitely think Cox will be able to handle the workload this year,” said Kanter. “She wanted it last year but Deanna got it because she was fifth year senior and earned it for us. When Cox pitched she did great and now we are going to jump on her back and hopefully she can do what Deanna has done for us in the past.”
“I think as a team we have a lot of good talent coming back this year and I think we just need to keep working together, communicate and just get our bats going this year,” added Walton. “Last year our pitching was phenomenal and I think it will be again this year.”
With high hopes and thoughts for this season, Piagno and Walton are going into this year with a lot of positivity and are going to make their last season as seniors their best yet.
“I’m just going to have fun, play hard and work hard so I think if we do that as a team on the field and in the weight room and come get extra swings in, then I think that we have complete potential to be the best,” said Walton. “These girls are my family; some of them I’ve been playing with for four years so the friendships are what I’m taking away from being able to play here.”
“To make this last year the best I’m just going to have fun,” said Piagno. “Like Brie said, we are a family so I’m just going to enjoy it because it is going to be our last year so I just want to make it memorable and fun because it is something I love to do.”
The softball team’s first game is away on Feb. 8 against Columbus State and their first home game is March 1 against Florida Tech.