Northwestern is not worried about its past.
“We’re playing for 2012,” junior pitcher Meghan Lamberth said. “We’re focusing on the present, not the past.”
The Wildcats have gotten off to a rocky start in their 2012 campaign, going 3-5 in their first two tournaments. The top-class opposition NU was facing took advantage of some weak spots NU hopes to fix before heading off to Cathedral City, Calif., for the Cathedral City Classic this weekend.
“We just got exposed,” sophomore third baseman Marisa Bast said. “We saw our areas of weakness, and all we’re going to do is practice what we weren’t good at and work on competing.”
The next two weekends will be a major test for NU, which is 1-3 against ranked competition. The Cats face three ranked squads in the Cathedral City Classic and another two the following weekend at the DeMarini Invitational in Fullerton, Calif.
Last season, NU went 1-5 against ranked opponents in tournaments, with its lone win coming against then-No. 11 California in nine innings.
The difficulty of the schedule brings coach Kate Drohan pride. She said she looks forward to these tournaments every year because she loves to see the support the Cats get on the West Coast.
“We’re playing a very challenging schedule, which is great for this young team,” Drohan said. “We have a great following of fans, family members and alumni who come out to watch, and it’s something we really look forward to.”
One of the biggest differences in this year’s team is in the weight room. NU’s Sports Performance Department was reorganized this year, adding new staff members, including Tyler Jorgensen. The assistant director of sports performance mainly works with the softball and field hockey teams, which means he is able to devote more time to each team than in the past.
The extra time is what Drohan said has paid the most dividends so far this season. The additional commitment has allowed the Cats to flourish in the weight room and become better athletes.
“He’s prepared us physically to the best of our ability,” junior shortstop Emily Allard said. “We’re more in shape and more fit than we’ve ever been before.”
Pitching has been an issue for the Cats so far in this young season. After its pitchers struggled last season to consistently find the strike zone, NU turned to Amy Letourneau to take over in the circle. The freshman has looked shaky at times, getting pulled three times in five starts. However, she has shown signs of potential.
In NU’s extra-inning upset of No. 17 Texas A&M on Feb. 12, Letourneau threw 163 pitches over eight innings, striking out nine batters and giving up only four hits. She also went the distance in the Cats’ opening game of the season, a 14-6 rout of Texas Tech on Feb. 10. Against the Red Raiders the freshman struck out 10 batters and scattered five hits over six innings of work.
“It’s a lot different than it was in high school,” Letourneau said of her transition to the college game. “But I love it, and I’m here to play.”
NU has only two seniors on this year’s team after graduating five from last year’s team. That would seem to put a lot of pressure on the junior class, but Allard said it will be almost like leadership by committee for the Cats this season.
“The leaders of this team are in different positions on the field and in (school) classes,” Allard said. “We have different experiences and we try to put that together and lead the team to the best of our ability.”
