University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Softball Looks to Pick Up Right Where it Left Off in 2020
2/9/2021 1:48:00 PM | Softball
The UConn softball team kicks off its season this weekend in Conway, South Carolina, for the Coastal Carolina Invitational. The Huskies will square off with Ohio and Akron on Friday, Coastal Carolina and Akron on Saturday and Tennessee on Sunday.
It's been 11 months since they have played a game, and head coach Laura Valentino said the team is really excited to get the season underway this weekend.
"Obviously there's always a hype around opening weekend, but this year, there's a little something extra special about it," Valentino said. "There's an extra grit, an extra determination behind the way the team is practicing right now, and I think they're gonna bring that to the field on game day."
The start of this season means more than usual because of how last season ended so abruptly. The team was 16-5, one of the best starts in program history, before COVID-19 forced the Huskies and the entire sports world into silence in mid March. But Valentino said the team is motivated to match the success at the start of last season.
"We're looking to pick up right where we left off honestly," Valentino said.
This is Valentino's second season as head coach of the Huskies, and she said she's really starting to see the championship culture take place. The players are buying in, and they're hungry to win. Valentino said that's been obvious from their practices leading up to this season.
"We're going to be a fundamentally sound defensive team," Valentino said. "We're going to be situationally clutch and execute under pressure on offense. We're going to run the bases smart and aggressive, and our pitching staff is going to be gritty and competitive. That's what I expect from this team this year."
The Huskies have some great returners to the team that Valentino is expecting big things from this season. On the mound, Marybeth Olson and Meghan O'Neil will anchor the pitching staff. In the field and at the plate, infielders Sami Barnett and Briana Marcelino, outfielders Reese Guevarra and Aziah James and catcher Devon Casazza highlight a potentially lethal UConn lineup.
"They've just gotten better and better," Valentino said. "It's been fun to see even the upperclassmen since the staff has been here, they've bought into the culture and continue to grow."
While the strength of this team is its experience, there are also a few newcomers this season that might surprise some people. Jana Sanden and Taylor Zatyk will be new faces in the infield this season, and Payton Kinney will see a lot of time on the mound in her first season. Valentino said those three freshmen will be key factors on the team this year.
We all know this isn't going to be a normal season. COVID-19 continues to impact sports everywhere, including here at UConn, but Valentino believes her team is going to handle this unpredictable season very well. She said the team has been preparing for that as best they can with "Adversity Bowl Challenges" during practice, where they make sudden changes to the practice drills. These include burpees between every out, moving the bases in and out or pitching with a wet ball. Anything to get the players to expect the unexpected, and Valentino said they've really embraced the challenges.
"It's been part of our everyday routine," Valentino said. "We try to challenge them with staying flexible and throwing different things their way, so when it's happening this year, we can stay calm and composed. That's really going to be key to winning a championship."
This is going to be an exciting season for UConn softball, as they make their return to the Big East and open up their beautiful new stadium on campus. There will be challenges along the way, but there is real potential for this team to compete for a conference title and more in 2021.
