The softball team is more than ready to start competing this spring.
The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) softball team has not taken the field in 11 months and are treating this season as a new start. The Mavericks finished last season 16-6 and 10-2 within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC).
“I think everybody was affected by it. So we’re much more appreciative of being able to play and go out and attack this season. I know, other coaches are kind of continuing their last season, but with us where we’re coming out, we’re ready to win. So we want to do that and that’s our goal,” Head Coach Erik Kozel said.
The Mavericks come in with a roster of 15 returning players. Redshirt senior utility player Brooke Doumer and redshirt senior outfielder and first baseman Sarah Staudle return with being granted an extra year of eligibility by NCAA.
For Doumer, she knew that she wanted to return based on the love and passion that she has for the game of softball.
“Coming back was definitely a no brainer and just an opportunity to play more softball and get more time out on the field and compete. That’s what I love to do. So it was a no brainer,” Doumer said.
The team adds three freshmen to the roster that gives them more depth on the defensive and offensive side of the ball.
In addition to adding three freshman, redshirt sophomore utility player Brandi Haller is a transfer from Northern Colorado University. Haller played most of her 22 games last season as an outfielder and scored eight runs and had five runs batted in throughout her season as a bear.
“Jumping in mid season gave me the mentality to be the best teammate I can be. To help the team physically in any way I can as well as mentally, go out there everyday bringing confidence and positivity with me,” Haller said.
CMU only has three pitchers this season in redshirt junior Paige Adair, redshirt sophomore Shea Mauser and redshirt sophomore Ellie Smith. Each pitcher brings something different to the team.
“I know that I can have her back if I need to go in because I can pitch to their weaknesses because those pitches aren’t my strengths, necessarily. So I think it’s good that I feel like no matter what team we face, at least one of us in the staff will be able to pitch to their weaknesses, since we all have different strengths as pitchers,” Mauser said.
Adair is now coming into her fourth season of her collegiate career and keeps making a name for herself in the pitching circle. In her two seasons as a Maverick, Adair has seven wins over twenty-two appearances. She also has had 67 strikeouts.
The team has taken the extra two weeks of practice given to them, thanks to a shortened regular season, to work on the small things. They have also taken this time to scrimmage each other so that pitchers and hitters get to see live hitting and pitching before their RMAC heavy schedule.
With the changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the softball team is not taking this season for granted knowing that there are possibilities where games can get postponed or cancelled. They are also taking advantage of the opportunity knowing that they get to step out on the field in those maroon, gold and black uniforms one more time.
“Our mentality coming out is that we are happy that we’re going to be able to play and so every instance and every inning that we have the opportunity to be on the field, we’re gonna take advantage of, so I think we have a good group of girls that are gonna play together as well,” Kozel said.
The Mavericks begin their season on the road competing in a four game series against Metro State University-Denver on Feb.27 at noon.
