The USM softball team has seen their fair share of struggles this season. Coming away with only one win during their annual spring outing in Florida and coming off of their 15th loss of the season against UNE, the team is striving to improve as quickly as possible.
This year’s team, however, is faced with a unique challenge that only the tick of the clock can help aid: their youth.
“You get a team this young about once every fourteen years,” says coach Bonny Brown-Denico. “We only have four returning players and I think learning the level of college play so quickly is a big step up for a lot of them.”
Due to difficulties in funding, this year’s team has an undersized 12 player roster of seven freshman, four sophomores, and lone senior, Anita Dixon (Limington), whose role as captain has become pivotal, especially when regarding the future of the program.
“She’s growing a lot,” says Brown-Denico. “She takes on a very important role as captain and she handles the youth and inexperience very well.”
Dixon’s leadership has been a major factor in shaping the team’s attitude, as well as their future. Her knowledge of the game is impressive and although she is a “fairly quiet leader,” she leads by example through her dedication and work ethic, giving the underclassmen a strong role model to follow.
Although this is Dixon’s final season, she is optimistic about the growth of the program both this season and future seasons to come.
“Our record doesn’t show the improvements we’ve made as a team. In Florida we played many competitive teams and with each game I felt like we were taking one step forward,” said Dixon. “If the same players come back, they’re going to have a strong season next year.”
Despite the challenges the team faces now, it is clear that Denico and the team are optimistic. With so many underclassmen receiving much more playing time than the average freshman or sophomore, the team can gain essential hands on experience needed to successfully compete in the LEC.
Another piece of good news is the Huskies’ offense. Six of the twelve players are batting well over .250, with sophomore Molly Hopkins (Augusta) leading the way, batting .478 in just 23 at bats. Freshman Laura Leger (Quincy, MA) has also been a pleasant surprise, tying with Dixon for first with 7 RBIs and batting .314 in 51 at bats.
With such potential on their hands and time on their side, it is clear that the Huskies have a great chance to transform themselves into a dominant team within the next few seasons. For now, they will continue to ride through the waves of inexperience in hopes of honing their skills, and ending the season with a strong finish.