Redshirt sophomore outfielder Lauren Wedman has been able to dominate early in the 2021 season.
Wedman came into this season having a very successful start to the 2020 season with a .458 Batting Average (BA) and 33 hits through 22 games. She picked up right where she left off after having almost a year without seeing live hitting.
“It was really cool to kind of start off kind of a little bit where I left off. People were telling me that I had a decent season last year so to be able to come back and start that way was really nice. I want to continue to play that way and continue to work hard,” Wedman said.
She explained how getting the season taken away last year really has pushed her to practice harder in the fall and earlier this spring. She is taking advantage of any opportunity she gets this season.
Assistant coach Kelly Reese came into the program a month ago and she has really helped Wedman offensively and defensively.
“She has helped out with hitting. She’s helped a lot with the outfielders, bringing in new drills. She played here and she did really well here and she was very successful. I think having someone who played here for this program and seeing how successful they were and her approach to everything has been really helpful,” Wedman said.
When Wedman started college softball at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) she was just getting used to softball at a colligate level and really had to decide what she wanted her approach to be at the plate.
“It’s interesting because her freshman year her first weekend she just had one at bat and it was a bunt. She didn’t quite know if she would be a slapper or a hitter or what her strengths were with that,” assistant coach Mercades Bohte said.
From that moment Wedman has gotten stronger and really developed into the hitter she is today.
She leads the CMU softball team in BA with .571 and a 1.154 slugging percentage. She also has 22 hits, 24 runs batted in, six home runs and has scored 21 runs. Wedman went 5-5 against Adams State University, tying the school hitting record on March 20.
The six home runs is already a career high for Wedman as she hit one her freshman year and none in the shortened 2020 season. Wedman explained how she does not know how she is hitting home runs because she usually is not a home run hitter.
Something that also has helped Wedman at the plate is not only the encouragement of her teammates but being able to see live hitting from pitchers Paige Adair, Shea Mauser and Ellie Smith.
“I think we have some of the best, if not the best pitchers in the RMAC. And also, Coach Bohte can pitch as well. So she throws batting practice to us, every practice and if we’re not hitting off of her, we’re usually hitting off of our pitchers. And I think that makes a huge difference in all of our team’s success at the plate when we go play other teams,” Wedman said.
With all the success Wedman has shown she was awarded the Rocky Athletic Conference (RMAC) softball player of the week two weeks in a row.
Wedman hopes that she can continue to help the team succeed and that as a team they can continue to sweep weekends as the team is 12-0 to open their season.
Wedman hopes to continue her successful season as the team returns home this weekend as they take on New Mexico Highlands University starting April 2 at noon.
