RADFORD, Va. -- Radford softball head coach Mickey Dean took a different approach to the 2009 fall season. In his first three seasons, the Highlanders focused on playing as many games as possible. This year’s edition participated in just one fall tournament, hosting Roanoke College and Virginia Intermont, which was preceded by five weeks of individuals and team practice.
“Our strongest showing was in our defensive play, which was great to see since we really mixed players into several different positions,” said Dean. “Our hitting came in spurts, but we did a good job using our combination of power hitting and speed on the bases.”
In the tournament, the defending Big South Champions faced off against the Maroons and the Cobras on Saturday and Sunday. The Highlanders displayed their usual pop, hitting seven home runs which included inside-the-park round tripper by freshman Jessica Agee (Louisa, Va./Louisa County). Junior Vicki Madden (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) and sophomores Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) and Meredith Moore (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) each launched a pair out of the park.
Beall (.625), Agee (.600) and Madden (.416), along with senior Sarah Himan (.556), senior Hope Creasy (.461) and freshman Ryndee Ruch (.429) all batted above .400 for the Highlanders.
In the circle, the trio of Big South Pitcher of the Year Chelsea Kelley, junior Kellie Snooks and freshman Jackie Jenkins split innings allowing them to get plenty of work
“With a couple of injuries in our pitchers, I still thought they did a good job of maintaining control of each at bat,” commented Dean. “Our pitchers are trying to focus more on each pitch rather than an entire at bat or an entire game. If our pitchers can narrow their focus to that point, I believe they have a great opportunity to be a successful staff.”
With the change in approach to the fall season, Dean and his staff felt they were successful.
“Overall, we as a staff were pleased with our play during the fall games. Our priority now is to help each player and the team maintain their confidence and focus. We had some injuries coming into this fall, so it is imperative that we get healthy over the next couple of months.”