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ESU Softball Riding 16-Game Winning Streak
By David Boyce
Amazing and fun were about the only descriptive words that Emporia State senior Miranda Campbell was able to utter Tuesday morning when talking about playing softball in warm weather.
At the time, with temperatures soaring through the 70s on a warm south wind, it looked like Emporia State would be able to put its 16-game winning streak on the line in a doubleheader against Rockhurst.
But thunderstorms pop up quickly in the springtime in the Midwest. Rain stopped the Hornets.
Weather has been about the only thing to slow down Emporia State lately.
Like all spring sports teams in the MIAA, Emporia State had to adjust to an abnormally cold and wet February and March.
“We were inside a lot in the beginning and it just got repetitive and almost kind of boring,” Campbell said. “Coach did a great job of making it fun. We worked a lot on hitting, which was good.”
Emporia State coach Kristi Bredbenner said her club did a great job adjusting to all the havoc the weather created.
“The one thing that has been good about our girls is they have been acceptable to change and dealing with last minute scheduling changes,” Bredbenner said. “We’ve been inside a lot. We are happy to be outside now.
“But when we were inside I thought we had great attitudes. We worked a lot on hitting. We created a game called hitting wars where our pitchers got points for different things and our hitters got points for different things. Our girls have done a great job of staying focused at a time it could have definitely got monotonous.”
All the hitting drills inside have paid off now that the weather has warmed up. Emporia State jumped 11 spots to No. 7 in the latest NFCA Division II poll.
“I think we’ve been playing great,” Bredbenner said. “We’ve been getting good pitching and good hitting. Right now we are kind of putting everything together. We are improving every game. It’s what you want to do this point in the schedule. I don’t think we are playing our best, which is good. It means we can still play better.”
The Hornets are 28-7 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the MIAA.
The conference record is significant for Emporia State. Last year, Central Missouri dethroned the Hornets as regular-season champions.
“Right now that’s our main goal,” Campbell said of winning the regular-season title.
Campbell is leading the Hornets in hitting. In fact, she’s one of, if not the most feared hitter in the MIAA. She was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National Player of the Week on Wednesday.
“Miranda has just been hitting average,” Bredbenner said in a ho-hum way.
After a second, Bredbenner laughed and pointed out that Campbell is hitting over .500.
“She’s been doing great,” Bredbenner quickly added. “Anyone hitting over .500 midway through the season, you have to acknowledge as just a great hitter.
“They have been trying to pitch around her more, but when she has gotten the opportunity to hit the ball, she’s stepped up and gotten some key hits for us.
“It’s a tough role when you are a great hitter and everybody knows you are a great hitter to be patient at the plate because you want to hit so bad.”
Campbell is hitting .534 with nine home runs, 12 doubles and 45 RBIs in 88 at bats. She has also walked 21 times.
Campbell admits she’s learned a lot the last two years about patience and when to swing when teams started to pitch around her.
She takes her high average in stride and doesn’t really think much about it.
“If my teammates are on I try to hit them in,” Campbell said. “If I’m leading off, I try to get on base any way I can. I go up there and try to swing at the good pitches and take the bad ones. If they walk me, they walk me. I really don’t feel like I’m hitting .500. Sometimes I feel like I could be hitting better.”
Now is the time Emporia State wants to focus on just getting better and treat every opponent seriously.
“I just want to see consistency and get better every game,” Bredbenner said. “Right now we are play great softball, but we've got to make sure we are fired up every game, not just the bigger games.
“Some games are bigger than others, but in my mind every game in conference is a big game. We've got to make sure we are ready to go. We've got to go out there play like we are going to beat that team instead of just assuming we are going to beat them.”
One thing that is just about certain is the Hornets will be playing in warmer weather the rest of April and May than they were in March.
And that, in itself, is a great feeling.
“Being outside is just amazing,” Campbell said. “There are almost no words to describe it. It makes it so much fun. It brings back so many memories.”
To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.
