Falcons off to best start in team history

The Falcons softball team is just past the halfway mark this year and are off to the best start in team history.

The reason for their early success is the return of all but one starter from last year, outfielder Amanda Wojnowiak, excellent team chemistry and being able to avoid injuries, head coach Faye Perkins said.

The Falcons swept St. Scholastica in the Rosemount Dome on Wednesday. Their record now stands at 8-0 in the dome. Because of their success there the Falcons players have been referring to that venue as their other home field, Perkins said.

The Falcons record currently stands at 17-5. If they keep up that pace they will break the 30-win mark and set a new team record. The previous record was 28, set in 1993.

Perkins has stressed all season that conference play will be the true test of this team and now believes her team is ready for that test.

“We’ve shown ourselves that we can play great ball,” she said.

The team has also been motivated by being predicted to finish in the bottom half of the WIAC by a preseason sports information director’s poll.

“I think the team is ready to prove that wrong,” Perkins said. “They’ve taken that as a challenge.”

Pitching was expected to be a strong point for the Falcons this season with Ashley Bertrand and Brittany Rathbun returning. They haven’t disappointed combining to account for all 17 Falcon wins, strike out 135 batters, post a 1.16 ERA and hold opponents to a .175 batting average through 22 games. Rathbun also pitched her second career no hitter. A 10-0 run-rule shortened a five-inning affair against Hamline University April 6 in the Rosemount dome. All told the pitching staff has five shutouts this year and a team ERA of 1.25.

One of the biggest surprises has been the team’s run production. The Falcons are averaging 5.3 runs per game this season. The top of the order has been especially productive. The first four hitters in the lineup, Mindy Rudiger (.358), Breamber Syverson (.314), Emily Howlett (.500) and Keri Feller (.333) are all hitting over .300 on the season. Rudiger, Howlett and Feller have also accounted for 54 of the Falcons 91 RBIs, and 34 of teams 42 extra base hits this year.

Even with all of the Falcons’ success the team still has a few things they could improve upon. The primary thing, Perkins said, is playing consistently, especially at the plate. They need to do a better job of stringing their hits together to produce big innings, instead of scattering them throughout the game.

The conference season was originally set to kickoff with a double header at home against UW Stout (9-7) on April 3, but that match-up has now been postponed twice due to weather.

“They’re anxious to get into the conference season,” Perkins said.

The delays come with the territory, Perkins said, adding that it’s better to postpone games than increase the risk of losing players to injury, which increases in cold weather.

The conference opener is now officially scheduled to take place on Perkins birthday, April 14, at UW-Platteville.

Perkins said as long as the Falcons continue to play the way they’ve been playing they can prove the preseason poll wrong and win the WIAC.

“We cannot have any lapses, mentally or physically, to win the WIAC,” Perkins said. “We are playing some of the best ball I’ve seen us play in a long time.”