Surrendering the Scoreboard: UT Martin Finds Its Identity in SEMO Sweep
UT Martin Sweeps SEMO with a Fresh Mindset
MARTIN, Tenn. – Coming off a tough opening OVC series against Lindenwood last weekend, this weekend the UT Martin Skyhawks were home in front of their faithful at Bettye Giles Field.
The Skyhawks proceeded to sweep the Southeast Missouri Redhawks, to improve to 16-12 (4-2 OVC).
In my visit to Martin, Tenn., Saturday and even on Friday, the huge thing that struck me was the Skyhawks’ dominant pitching and defense. Sami Scholtz tossed a no-hitter Friday, and Ashtyn Green followed up with a complete-game shutout in game two, followed by another strong outing from Scholtz.
Scholtz carried a no-hitter all the way to the sixth inning of game three before giving up back-to-back solo homers. She then turned the ball over to Natalie Kreuziger for the save. While this series saw great outings, you cannot forget about the ones behind the arms.
This UT Martin squad showed a complete effort in keeping SEMO mostly scoreless this series. Whether it was diving stops from Kyrsten Brown at second, Dylan Scott at third, or outfielders tracking the ball and making great catches, everyone had the pitchers’ backs.
In talking with UT Martin head coach Chelsea Farmer, she spoke on the team battling and staying the course. That is something that may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many teams find themselves easily discouraged or knocked out of focus.
For complete understanding on the sweep, SEMO didn’t just roll over for the Skyhawks. On Saturday, they gave Martin a good fight before the gates finally opened. Willow Van Haren gave it all she had for the Redhawks before the Skyhawks finally cashed in with runners on to take the lead in game one.
That is where Martin showed that they can do whatever it takes to get on and make something of their chances. This team has people like Kyla Harley, who can confidently lay down a bunt and reach. That is a luxury that places great pressure on the opposing defense, and really gives them no time to mess around.
I also saw great patience at the plate from this team. One player in particular is a two-time OVC Player of the Week selection this season, Avary Makarewicz. Mak will take a 1-2 count and turn it into a walk. It takes great judgment to be able to do that, and something that is underrated. Avary leads the team in walks on the season with 16.
Then to be able to clean up and continue fighting at the plate to get the job done is the most important thing. The Skyhawks have several players hitting over .300 that meet the minimum requirements for plate appearances, and Carly Ward, who is hitting just over .400 on the season.
Ward is a threat every time she steps in the box to get on, and that kind of consistency helps set the tone for the rest of the order.
What makes this team different right now is the mindset. Coach Farmer talked about the emotional toll of dropping two extra-inning games at Lindenwood last weekend, and how the team responded.
“We dropped two tough ones to Lindenwood, one in 10 innings, one in eight innings. And it was just one of those games where if something goes just the other way, we would’ve won. A lot of our kids got very emotional on that Sunday after that loss because I just feel like they put everything out there and it just didn’t fall our way.”
Rather than let that carry over into this weekend’s series, Farmer and her team decided to just play the game to their best ability and not to the scoreboard.
“Something we talked about today and yesterday was just competitive greatness and really just surrendering the outcome. We’re just gonna play our game. We’re gonna play for each other, and we’re gonna play hard and keep fighting and we’re just gonna surrender the outcome and surrender the scoreboard and just let it be.”
“Winning is not what you get. Winning is who you are. If you practice being a winner every single day, every single moment, every single pitch, eventually you will win.”
That showed on Saturday when the Skyhawks broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Jordyn Hustey ripped a two-RBI double, followed by Kennedy Brown doing the same. It was the kind of inning where the plan finally came together, and Farmer saw it building.
“They just kept going up there believing that they were gonna get it eventually, and then finally it paid off. Some things worked in our favor and we finally pushed some runs around.”
On Ashtyn Green’s complete-game shutout, Farmer pointed to her pitcher’s confidence and willingness to trust her full arsenal. Green also did a great job of finding her way out of counts she was behind in. The panic was never there.
“Her mentality today was really good. She told me a few times in the dugout, she’s feeling super confident today. Her changeup was working really well. We were able to use it not just for strikes, but also just kind of as a chase pitch.”
Something else that I noticed myself today, especially as the game got closer to the end, Green speeds up her process a bit, and it worked for her. That could be a good thing as it gives the opposing batter little to no time to get reset.
“Something that she’s working on and getting better at even this season is not being afraid to go deeper in the count. Ashtyn is a quick pitcher. She likes to go fast, she likes to get people out. She really bought into that today and was throwing good pitches in those counts and getting a lot of pop-up outs.”
Do not sleep on this UT Martin Skyhawks team. It is very early in the OVC season, but they are showing the hunger to win and accept nothing short of their best. Currently 4-2 in the conference, and overall could be one of the best teams to date in the OVC.
This is a UT Martin team that is finding its identity at the right time. The fight is there. They have great pitching with a defense that is locked in. The bats are starting to come alive when it matters most, to provide run support. If the Skyhawks keep surrendering the scoreboard and trusting the process, the results will keep coming.
The Skyhawks softball faithful should have a lot of good softball to look forward to, not only this season but for some time to come. Stay tuned.
