Coach George Wares and players March 21, 2009

Central wraps up Arizona trip at 15-1

TUCSON, ARIZ..—Rolling to a pair of five-inning wins Saturday, the Central College softball team journeys back to Iowa with a glossy 15-1 record and some newfound confidence heading into the demanding Iowa Conference season.  

Central cruised past St. Olaf College (Minn.) 11-0 and the College of Saint Catherine (Minn.) 11-1.

The lopsided margins allowed coach George Wares to rest several players who are battling an assortment of ailments from the 16-game, eight-day trek through the Tucson Invitational Games.

“It’s always nice to get them (the reserves) in there,” Wares said. “Sometimes people overlook their contributions. But they do just as much fund-raising, lifting and practicing as the players who get to start. They’re very good at understanding their roles and I thought they all responded pretty well today when they got more of a chance to play.”

Katie Tenboer (sophomore, Morrison, Ill.) tossed three innings of one-hit shutout ball in the opener, improving to 4-0. Brittany Becker (sophomore, Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS) recorded three strikeouts in two innings to close the game, in her first pitching appearance.

Megan Swingen (senior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS) yielded one hit and an unearned run in the first three innings of the nightcap, moving to 5-1. Allyse Vander Plaats (junior, Apple Valley, Calif., Naperville North, Ill. HS) gave up one hit in throwing two scoreless innings of relief.

Center fielder Alysha Overturf (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) had four hits and reached base five times on the day, scoring four runs. Freshman shortstop Kelsey Wright (Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS) scored five runs and had two hits. Freshman second baseman Angela Davis (West Des Moines, Valley HS) had three hits, two RBIs and scored two runs while freshman catcher/outfielder Kyrie Hale (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) had two doubles and a single, drove in three runs and scored three runs.

Central’s only loss on the trip was a 7-2 setback to No. 2 Wis.-Eau Claire March 14, a defeat the Dutch avenged in a rematch Thursday, 6-4. The 15-1 mark is Central’s fastest start since the program’s 2003 national championship season, yet much work remains.

“The schedule was perfect,” Wares said. “We had a relatively easy first day and then the first Eau Claire game gave us a good measuring stick. Then we got big wins against Wis.-La Crosse, St. Mary’s (Minn.) and Eau Claire. There’s not much more we can ask for with an 11-1 in-region record out of the gate. Yet every player on the team knows how much better we can get. We have a wide-open door for improvement.”

That improvement will be needed in the powerful Iowa Conference, he said.

“We have a very tough schedule ahead,” Wares said.

The trip also helped solidify lineup decisions.

“I think both of our catchers made good progress,” he said. “Kyrie (Hale) showed a little more offense than Trysh (Shimak) (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) but they both improved. Our freshman middle infielders (Wright and Davis) both got better and are probably playing even better than we expected. Bethany Koskamp (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) has turned into a very adequate first baseman and we know she can play second base. And we’re a pretty solid four-deep in the outfield.

“I think our pitching is starting to shape up. Kiley (Lythberg) (sophomore, Mount Prospect, Ill.) is beginning to pitch the way we knew she could. Katie (Tenboer) is further along than we thought she’d be after her injury and we know what we can count on from Megan (Swingen).

“From a coaching standpoint, it’s exciting. We have different options, not only in who plays but different options in how we play. We have some flexibility.”

Central will get a break before preparing for next Saturday’s league opener at Mount Vernon, a 2 p.m. doubleheader with what Wares calls a significantly improved Cornell College squad. The games will be broadcast on KRLS-FM (92.1) and can also be heard via www.central.edu/athletics and www.kniakrls.com.

“We’ll take Monday off , go real light the rest of the week and hope we can heal up some before we go to Cornell,” Wares said. “We’ll go with a lot of confidence, but understanding that we can’t just show up. History in the Iowa Conference shows that teams that just show up end up stubbing their toe.”