With a strong 3-1 record in the Tournament of Champions, the Cougars have big expectations for the remainder of the season.

 

The Azusa Pacific Cougars softball team competed this weekend at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif., walking away with a 3-1 record after three games on Friday and one game on Saturday. The second game scheduled for Saturday against Cal State East Bay was canceled in the third inning due to weather.

The first game of the tournament against Simon Fraser ended with a 4-1 win. Freshman Becca Jewett led the offensive charge going 3-for-4 at the plate, one-third of the team’s nine hits.

Leading the charge for defense was sophomore pitcher Kat Ung, who hit her personal best for strikeouts in a game with eight. While on the mound, no batter was able to score a run. She attributed her performance to the work of the team.

“I think that really tested my team and their ability to back me up as a pitcher,” Ung said. “We were all excited. We were feeding off of each other’s energy and I think that is why we were able to score runs early.”

This energy carried the Cougars through the entire tournament.

“[Friday] was just a really great day for us. We almost won all three, so it was close. I think we really needed that as a team to help bring us together and to help get us ready for more games,” Jewett said.

The Cougars fell to Saint Martin’s on Friday by a score of 1-2, but they quickly bounced back with a 3-0 win against Northwest Nazarene.

The overall performance of both batting and pitching was cohesive, helping the team to work together for positive outcomes. Head coach Carrie Webber spoke about the team’s performance.

“I thought that the team played really well, cohesively as a team. They did well at the small things, kept pressure on offensively, our pitchers did an outstanding job… It was a really good weekend,” Webber said. “I’m really proud of the girls and I think they are making strides from where we have been to where we are now. It is nice to see the improvement.”

She noted that the girls were much more confident in their abilities, allowing that confidence to guide their plays instead of becoming tense about what they wanted to accomplish.

“That is just playing with confidence…and that is when good things happen,” Webber said.

A key contributor to this confidence was the energy levels, on and off the field. High energy from the dugout kept players feeling encouraged and playing well.

“When we play with joy and there are a lot of smiles, that helps me feel relaxed and confident up there. Seeing that everyone is confident in my ability, even though I am a freshman, is really encouraging,” Jewett said. “I know that, for me, hitting is all about confidence. So when I have it, I really see a difference in my performance.”

On Saturday, the Cougars secured a 5-2 win against Humboldt State. Kat Ung threw another complete game, earning her seventh win of the season. This was the first time that APU has beaten Humboldt State since the two teams first started playing each other in the Tournament of Champions in 2013.

“Knowing that we were able to beat such competitive teams really helped us,” Ung said. “If we could just carry that into our conference games, I think that would be amazing.”

As a team, the Cougars are confident that things have finally clicked into place. The only adjustments players identified for the remainder of the season were minor.

“I feel like everyone’s mindset is in the right place. I think we are going to continue to succeed this season,” Jewett said.

Webber echoed this excitement.

“Overall, [we can improve by] playing with true confidence out there, continuing to build on that in order to see the success that we want,” Webber said. “The girls are doing a good job of working on the small things in order for big things to happen.”

The Cougars will head out to St. George, Utah to take on PacWest opponent Dixie State in a four-game series from Wednesday, March 28 to Thursday, March 29.