The Wayne State softball team spent their spring break under the Florida sun, but this trip was all business as the Warriors claimed 11 of the 14 games they played in Kissimmee, Fla.
Coming off a flawless trip in North Carolina, the Warriors were hoping to extend their nine-game winning streak. But they dropped their second game against Quincy University 0-3 while squandering several good scoring opportunities.
“We’ve got a decent record out of it,” coach Gary Bryce said of the trip. “... but we let a couple games get away from us.”
However, the loss was not a sign of things to come. The Warriors bounced back from their second scoreless outing of the year by outscoring their next four opponents 22 to 8.
The real story continues to be pitching phenom Casey Hanes. Named GLIAC Pitcher of the Week in this seasons inaugural vote at mid-week, Hanes responded in kind by boosting her record to an impressive 17-2 while becoming fourth on the all-time Warriors strikeout list after recording 12 against Augustana early Friday morning.
“We don’t get much from the coaches on scouting the other teams,” she told broadcaster Charlie Kennedy between games. “Coach likes us to go out there and get a feel for them on our own.”
While dominating teams with such consistency, there seems to be fewer and fewer puzzles for Hanes to feel out in the circle. Her impressive 435 strikeouts have come in only a year and a half, and with GLIAC play set to begin at the end of March, hopes are high that that number will continue to rise.
Though they would drop a see-saw battle to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside 6-8, their bats continued to come to life and led them on a six-game winning streak where they surrendered no more then two runs in any game.
They would split the final day with 22-ranked Augustana College succumbing to one too many errors in the second game of the double header.
They return to the Midwest ranked fifth in the nation with a 22-5 record.
Somewhat absent from the opening tournament of the year, the Warriors bats have since been explosive. They have scored three or more runs in all but four of the last 22 games played. The contact that was present in the games leading up to North Carolina has finally meant runs and they began to pile up throughout the Florida trip.
Their hitting has been led by Steph Foreman. Foreman batted in a staggering 12 teammates during the Warriors’ Florida trip while posting an impressive stretch of at bats going seven of eight in two games.
The Warriors will try to keep their great start going as they enter into GLIAC play and meet very few opponents who are not divisional between now and the NCAA regional selections.
“We’ve made it through the non-conference grind, and now you just hope you’ve got them focused enough for the conference grind,” Bryce said.
They start with divisional rivals Ashland who entered the year with high praise, but have faded from the conversational foreground going 9-3 in the 12 games they have played.
Fuad Shalhout contributed to this article.
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