Bowling Green State University Athletics
Coach Monica Wright and freshman Paris Imholz
Softball On The Verge Of The 2012 Season
January 30, 2012 | Softball
Softball Practice Gallery | Erika Stratton.WMA">Erika Stratton Audio | Hanna Fulk Audio | 2012 Quick Facts
The Bowling Green State University softball team's 2012 season is just over a week away, and the Falcons are hard at work preparing for the opening contest against Wright State (Feb. 10). Head coach Shannon Salsburg and company will travel to Auburn, Alabama to open the season against Wright State, Auburn, Alabama State and IPFW at the Tiger Invitational Tournament.
Below is a Q&A with coach Salsburg about the upcoming season, and what to expect from the Falcons in 2012.
JE: What have you done this off-season to prepare for the year?
SS: Every year you look to do something different. You're always trying to improve. Obviously we're looking to have a strong year, and we put our players in more competitive situations right off the bat. Situations where they had to compete in an at bat, and compete as a pitcher. We tried to maintain that throughout the fall. I think those situations are going to make a huge difference.
We still broke things down. We still worked on little things in a swing or pitching motion. But at the end of the day, with more upper classmen, we have an opportunity to really jack up the intensity. We did that all fall, and the kids really responded.
JE: What do you look for in your upperclassmen?
SS: Leadership—It has not been a strong area for us, and I think that's something that has really changed. Now having juniors and seniors who have really played and been there and done that, there's a sense that they know what's going on. Even in the weight room, the upperclassmen show the freshman how to do things and they (Freshmen) stay right in line. It makes a huge difference. We have kids who really believe in what we are doing, as well as ones that want to buy in and do everything they can to have a great season.
JE: What do you expect from your underclassmen?
SS: Its always interesting, as freshmen when you bring them in, you start to really see their skill set. We have a really unique class that is extremely versatile. We have pitchers who can hit and run and do all of these things. We have outfielders that are also infielders. They bring a lot of depth. We have two freshman pitchers who we are looking for good things from. The rest of the kids…the Chloes (Giordano) and Shelbys (Fink) of the world will not only push the players who may start in front of them, but push for that starting roll, which is exciting. We're not going to have six freshmen on the field like we have had in the past, so I think we'll have good balance and the class really adds to that.
JE: Talk about the origin of the freshmen and why those players were brought in.
SS: Sometimes when you're looking for a pitcher, you're going to look for a certain style. When it comes to pitcher, we tend to look a little wider. We've had some good Ohio pitchers, Hayley Wiemer-Bradford being one. But we want to find kids that have played at the elite level. That's what this new class represents. Every player played at the highest level from 15 years old and on. They bring a different level of softball knowledge. We're really looking for the right kid and the right fit.
JE: If your team could possess one trait…what would it be?
SS: Tenacity – We're getting there. I want kids that really get after it, and I want softball to be everything for them. I think we have those kids with hearts that beat family, school and softball. And that's a big deal because you don't always find that in today's athletes.
JE: Describe your outlook on the coming season.
SS: We take every year individually. We feel we can get off to a strong start to this year, which is something we have struggled with in the past. With the upperclassmen leadership and the kids who have been there and done that at every level you can imagine, we expect to get off to a strong start. We expect to battle every single game and use pre-season to figure out who we are and what we're about offensively and on the mound. Kind of tweak everything and get ready for the MAC season. We believe we can win the MAC, we really do. I think the MAC is so wide open. Team one through ten is very similar in the MAC. It's a matter of going in with momentum. That's what we're looking for in our pre-season.
JE: Talk about starting the season with so many games on the road.
SS: We don't even think about it anymore. It's what you do if you're a team in the north. It can impact you in a lot of positive ways. The group gets closer. You are on the road so you don't necessarily go home and go your separate way, you're hanging out back at the hotel together. From a bonding standpoint it can be a really strong thing. Obviously you get a little road weary, but it's something that you're used to with how softball is played in general. Even in the summer, teams in the north travel south and west, it's just a part of our sport.
The Bowling Green State University softball team's 2012 season is just over a week away, and the Falcons are hard at work preparing for the opening contest against Wright State (Feb. 10). Head coach Shannon Salsburg and company will travel to Auburn, Alabama to open the season against Wright State, Auburn, Alabama State and IPFW at the Tiger Invitational Tournament.
Below is a Q&A with coach Salsburg about the upcoming season, and what to expect from the Falcons in 2012.
JE: What have you done this off-season to prepare for the year?
SS: Every year you look to do something different. You're always trying to improve. Obviously we're looking to have a strong year, and we put our players in more competitive situations right off the bat. Situations where they had to compete in an at bat, and compete as a pitcher. We tried to maintain that throughout the fall. I think those situations are going to make a huge difference.
We still broke things down. We still worked on little things in a swing or pitching motion. But at the end of the day, with more upper classmen, we have an opportunity to really jack up the intensity. We did that all fall, and the kids really responded.
JE: What do you look for in your upperclassmen?
SS: Leadership—It has not been a strong area for us, and I think that's something that has really changed. Now having juniors and seniors who have really played and been there and done that, there's a sense that they know what's going on. Even in the weight room, the upperclassmen show the freshman how to do things and they (Freshmen) stay right in line. It makes a huge difference. We have kids who really believe in what we are doing, as well as ones that want to buy in and do everything they can to have a great season.
JE: What do you expect from your underclassmen?
SS: Its always interesting, as freshmen when you bring them in, you start to really see their skill set. We have a really unique class that is extremely versatile. We have pitchers who can hit and run and do all of these things. We have outfielders that are also infielders. They bring a lot of depth. We have two freshman pitchers who we are looking for good things from. The rest of the kids…the Chloes (Giordano) and Shelbys (Fink) of the world will not only push the players who may start in front of them, but push for that starting roll, which is exciting. We're not going to have six freshmen on the field like we have had in the past, so I think we'll have good balance and the class really adds to that.
JE: Talk about the origin of the freshmen and why those players were brought in.
SS: Sometimes when you're looking for a pitcher, you're going to look for a certain style. When it comes to pitcher, we tend to look a little wider. We've had some good Ohio pitchers, Hayley Wiemer-Bradford being one. But we want to find kids that have played at the elite level. That's what this new class represents. Every player played at the highest level from 15 years old and on. They bring a different level of softball knowledge. We're really looking for the right kid and the right fit.
JE: If your team could possess one trait…what would it be?
SS: Tenacity – We're getting there. I want kids that really get after it, and I want softball to be everything for them. I think we have those kids with hearts that beat family, school and softball. And that's a big deal because you don't always find that in today's athletes.
JE: Describe your outlook on the coming season.
SS: We take every year individually. We feel we can get off to a strong start to this year, which is something we have struggled with in the past. With the upperclassmen leadership and the kids who have been there and done that at every level you can imagine, we expect to get off to a strong start. We expect to battle every single game and use pre-season to figure out who we are and what we're about offensively and on the mound. Kind of tweak everything and get ready for the MAC season. We believe we can win the MAC, we really do. I think the MAC is so wide open. Team one through ten is very similar in the MAC. It's a matter of going in with momentum. That's what we're looking for in our pre-season.
JE: Talk about starting the season with so many games on the road.
SS: We don't even think about it anymore. It's what you do if you're a team in the north. It can impact you in a lot of positive ways. The group gets closer. You are on the road so you don't necessarily go home and go your separate way, you're hanging out back at the hotel together. From a bonding standpoint it can be a really strong thing. Obviously you get a little road weary, but it's something that you're used to with how softball is played in general. Even in the summer, teams in the north travel south and west, it's just a part of our sport.
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