To many students, the Fall 2019 semester at Bradley University could be considered just any ordinary semester filled with classes, work, and extracurricular activities, but not for the student-athletes on the Bradley softball team. This semester is considered their off-season, but they’re not exactly “off,” according to Bradley softball head coach Amy Hayes.
“Our kids come in and within the first week of school are back at it with individuals and lifting,” Hayes said. “By mid-September, we are into our fall season. ‘Fall Ball’ consists of only eight games over four weeks; they don’t count towards our overall record, but it’s crucial for us to get our returners and new players on the same page as well as gage where we are fundamentally.”
Last season, the Bradley softball team finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). According to the Bradley University softball website, the team received a double-bye into the quarter-final round against #9 Indiana State University on May 9th, 2019, where they won 4-0. In the semi-finals, however, Bradley lost to #1 Drake University 0-7 on May 10th, 2019.
Despite their loss, a few players on the team set several records in the 2019 season. #19 junior Kealia Wysocki held a season record of 13 home runs, with #16 junior Allison Apke and #13 sophomore Stacia Seeton trailing behind with 12, as well as another season record of a .775 slugging percentage (100 at-bats). For career records, Apke currently leads in career home runs with 27 starting from 2017 to the present.
With their 2019 season behind them, the Bradley softball team can only work towards improving for the 2020 season in their off-season. For now-senior Allison Apke, consistency in her hitting has become her current goal for the upcoming season. Along with improving her skills, she said she also hopes to grow into her position as a leader.
As a team, Apke finds that communication is one of the skills they should improve upon. “Every year, new freshmen come in and the off-season is a good time to get to know these players and learn the most effective way to communicate with them,” Apke said.
From a coach’s perspective, however, Hayes sees a need for improvement in different aspects of the sport. Hayes said that this is the time when the team can make their game sharper and to challenge themselves further in the bullpen, cage, and defensively.
Outside of working 13 hours per week on the field, the team spends about three hours per week in the gym, according to Hayes, but only if a player wasn’t coming late or leaving early for class. “This makes it tough to come together, but we do what we can,” Hayes said.
As the softball team focuses on building and improving their skills in this 2019 off-season, fans can look forward to the 2020 season, as Bradley opens up their regular season with a home-field advantage at Louisville Slugger in Morton, IL against University of Missouri on March 10th.