UMHB softball is hitting its stride…at the perfect time.
It is often talked about the importance of a team playing its best in the homestretch of the regular season, as the postseason picture comes into focus and conference standings begin to hold more significance. But perhaps because it is a sentiment repeated so often, the fact of just how hard it is to do can be overlooked.
Especially in the ASC.
The Cru went 2-7 in their first three conference weekends, dropping to the bottom of the standings, far from where they wanted to be.
But the tide has turned for the Crusaders within the last month, and the three-game set at Dee Dillon Field on Friday and Saturday was further evidence of that. UMHB swept the Comets, opening Friday’s doubleheader with a 2-1 victory, followed by a 7-6 comeback win that saw UMHB score six runs in the fifth inning after having been held scoreless for the first four. Madeline Stephenson’s walk-off single scored Shorey Nguyen from third as The Cru took the series, and Saturday’s series finale, though filled with missed scoring opportunities, UMHB came out on top, 2-1.
It marked the Crusaders’ second-straight home series sweep, and they are now 8-1 in their last nine. Going 2-1 against Hardin-Simmons a week ago in Abilene was critical, both for UMHB’s confidence and for the momentum that has kept on building. The Cru moved from seventh to fourth in the ASC standings in the span of a weekend, now 10-8 in conference action with six games left, all of which are on the road. The three teams currently sitting ahead of the Crusaders–ETBU, Hardin-Simmons, and McMurry, have already faced The Cru, and UMHB is just a half-game back of HSU and McMurry, who are tied for second place.
“Last weekend was huge for us,” UMHB head coach Melissa Mojica said. “We talked about that a lot, about ‘How are we going to win on the road?’ Because we haven’t done well with that this year. With the Hardin-Simmons [series win] and just having a lot of wins recently, our kids have the mentality now of, ‘We’re not going to lose another game. We’re going to win out. We’re going to put ourselves in a good position for the conference tournament.’”
They’ve certainly shown that confidence. And an ability to win those games in different ways. In the first and third games of the series against UTD, The Cru gained a 2-0 lead early, and defended that advantage until the final out. The key in game two was the hitting in many ways, and putting together quality at-bats in the late innings.
“Early in the season, we were losing close games,” Mojica noted. “Now, we’re winning those close games. It’s just a difference in mentality that they have and the confidence. We’re not getting down when they have bad at-bats. We’re going back on defense and playing well. It’s been a tremendous improvement from every single person on the team, especially in the circle, keeping the game under control, and the defense stepping up and playing well.”
The defense has been exceptional, as evidenced by seven error-less games in the last three series. Very few ground balls get through the infield, and in the outfield, there aren’t many fly balls that Bailey Eggleston, Taylor Henken, and Shorey Nguyen can’t get to. It is certainly a plus for the UMHB pitchers.
“I have a wonderful team to back me up, so it’s pretty easy to do my job,” pitcher Eileigh Whyte, who threw 14.0 innings with just two runs allowed in the UTD series.
Whyte is now 11-5 on the year, with a 2.27 ERA that ranks fifth amongst ASC pitchers. Her 105.0 innings pitched leads the league and a 57-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio certainly stands out. In Saturday’s series finale, she came through with her 11th complete game of the season, striking out five against six hits. Outside of a long triple to right field that bent towards the foul line and away from the outstretched glove of Nguyen, Whyte limited the impact of UTD’s bats in all 14 innings she pitched in the sweep.
But that wasn’t all.
UTD didn’t only have to contend with Whyte in the circle on Saturday, but also at the plate, as the Hill College transfer showed off an impressive two-way ability, recording the first multi-hit game of her career. Whyte had tallied just seven at-bats this season entering the weekend, but was put into the lineup in Games 1 and 3, and came through with a 2-for-2 performance in Saturday’s win. That included scoring her first run of the season, as she led off the second inning with a single and came around to score on a UTD error with two outs, giving UMHB a 2-0 lead. Whyte reached base in all three plate appearances with two singles and a fifth-inning hit-by-pitch.
“Eileigh did great in the box,” Mojica said. “It’s nice to have a pitcher that, if she’s hitting well and somebody else is not, we can make that flex position. Eileigh had a great day. She works hard and she’s a competitor. She was excited about getting a hit. It is great to just put pressure on the good pitcher.”
A good pitcher indeed. McKenzie Cutbirth is one of the ASC’s best, and came into the weekend with a 10-1 record in the circle. UMHB picked up its wins in Games 1 and 3 against one of the best arms the Crusaders will face at any point in the league schedule, and that was another point of confidence for The Cru as they reflected on the sweep.
“[Cutbirth] comes in 10-1, and we give her two losses this weekend,” Mojica noted. “That’s huge because she’s done a great job all year.”
The focus now turns to UMHB’s longest road trip of the year, three games in Clarksville, Arkansas, at Ozarks on Friday and Saturday. The UTD series marked The Cru’s final conference series of the year at Dee Dillon Field, as the April 26-27 homestand against Sul Ross State does not count towards the ASC record. So it’s Ozarks and Concordia to close the regular season out. The Crusaders have found ways to put together consistent wins, winning in different ways and with different catalysts.
The LeTourneau series brought UMHB its first sweep of the year. The Hardin-Simmons series gave The Cru its first ASC road series win of the season. And the UTD sweep put Mojica’s squad above .500 in league play for the first time.
The upcoming series at Ozarks offers the Crusaders a chance to keep surpassing milestones as the regular season homestretch unfolds. UMHB is below .500 in road games this year, at 4-6, but that could change in Clarksville.
“It’s a bit of everything,” Whyte said, reflecting on the success of the last several weeks. “We just had to learn to trust ourselves, back each other up, and that everything will be okay.”
