Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech softball wrapped up its fall ball schedule last weekend, winning all of its eight contests at Tech Softball Park.
The Pete D'Amour era started on Sept. 21 with the Hokies' first fall game of 2018 and wrapped up on Oct. 12 against Radford with two wins in the doubleheader.
Since taking over, D'Amour has had a couple key things he wanted the team to work on this fall.
"We worked quite a bit on the basic fundamentals of defense," D'Amour said. "I know that sounds cliché, but I wanted to see what type of talent we were working with. We didn't have to clean up too much on defense, the majority of the time was spent going through defensive situations and incorporating new defensive schemes.
"One of the biggest things was the hitting fundamentals, and them learning how I teach and trusting that what I'm talking about will help them. It's been really fun to see their progress in those two areas.
"I knew coming in here we had pitching and defense, and the last three weeks, the hitting has taken off too. I feel really comfortable about where the program is right now."
Junior Carrie Eberle had a strong fall season, surrendering only two hits in four outings. Eberle, an All-ACC selection this past spring, worked on some minor tweaks which paid dividends.
"This fall was very helpful in allowing me to work on new things I have been learning with Coach [Doug] Gillis the past couple of months," Eberle said. "I think it was great to see how making adjustments in the bullpen translated positively on the field."
Senior Caitlyn Nolan also played well this fall, leading the infield defensively.
"Fall ball games are always fun because it gives you the opportunity to play against someone other than your teammates," Nolan said. "It allowed me to incorporate some of the things that I have been working on in practice into a game scenario. Fall games always expose new situations to work on during practice and I felt like our coaches did a great job of addressing any play or situation that we might need to work on."
Ten newcomers wore the maroon and orange for the first time and did not disappoint.
"The freshmen have held themselves well, they're acclimated," D'Amour said. "Everyone else has bought in, so we are playing pretty well and just need to keep it going as we head into break."
"I think the newcomers did a great job of working through all the new information they have been trying to absorb," Eberle said. "They were very coachable and willing to learn. I am very excited about this season and know that they will be able to help us succeed right away."
One of the 10 newcomers is freshman Meredith Slaw. The Warsaw, Virginia native has seen her swing develop, as well as the team enjoying being around each other.
"This fall season was great," Slaw said. "I would say at the beginning, I started off a little rocky, but at the end, I gained more confidence and started to hit the ball very well, with my at-bats improving a lot.
"As a team, we have worked hard on our skills, but we also focused on team building. We have had weekly visits from Dr. [Gary] Bennet, the assistant athletic director, sport psychologist. He helped us focus on trust, team chemistry and selflessness. I cannot wait for the spring season to start so we can put all of this hard work into action."
One of the aspects of the fall was the team coming together. With the squad doing a team-bonding trip to working hard with one another during the practices and games, there was cohesiveness built.
"One thing that has been somewhat surprising is how good the team chemistry has been," D'Amour said. "You just never know how teams will handle new coaches. They have really been receptive to the coaching staff, which has been great to see."