By Stephanie Dautel
After its first appearance on an outdoor field last weekend the BYU softball team will play its third ranked opponent so far in the 2009 season in the Louisville Slugger Classic in Las Vegas this weekend.
“We did a pretty good job for the first time on dirt,” junior pitcher Christie Zinanti said.
However, the Cougars know there is always room for improvement.
“If we play well I don”t think we will have a problem,” catcher Jessica Purcell said. “We just need to go into the game with composure.”
Head coach Gordon Eakin said the pitching this past weekend was strong and the hitting was adequate, and the hitting will continue to improve as the season goes on. However, there are some things they feel they need to work on.
“We need to focus on tightening our defense,” Eakin said.
Sophomore Kristin Delahoussaye, who scored eight runs last weekend in St. George, along with Purcell, who scored seven runs and added 11 RBIs, will lead the Cougars in Las Vegas.
BYU opened play with a … win/loss yesterday against the Virginia Cavaliers.
Today the Cougars will play the University of Michigan for the first time in history. Michigan is ranked No. 6 in the country, with its only loss coming to Massachusetts in the FAU Classic. Michigan junior Nikki Nemitz won MVP honors in the FAU Classic. After Michigan the Cougars will play Louisville, which has a 5-0 record and is coming off a win against No. 18 North Carolina.
The Cougars will finish up play in Las Vegas tomorrow against Southern Miss and UC Davis.
“Our biggest challenge will be to stay consistent on the mound and on defense,” Eakin said.
