Softball gets fall season underway; hosts local tournament

The Augustana Softball team has their focus on another successful season, using this offseason as a chance to grow closer and gain team chemistry.

Last weekend, Augustana hosted their fall tournament at Harmodon Park and finished 3-1 overall.

"We really hit well last weekend," Kapsch said, "that's one of strong suits, and we showed that."

NCAA rules limit the amount of work the team can do in the offseason, but the women are playing as much organized ball as possible, hoping to gain that extra edge on competitors.

"We don't consider this an off season," junior Taylor Kapsch said.  "This is an opportunity for us to get in, get better, and be prepared for next year."

Head coach Gretta Melsted feels that one of the best things her team can do in the offseason is to lift weights and gain better conditioning.  Beyond that, she wants her team to take some time for a "mental break."

Last season, the Vikings finished at 46-14, winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) regular season title.  However, conference and regional tournament losses to Wayne State ended their hopes of the national tournament.

"Those final few games were tough to swallow," Kapsch said.  "We knew we could beat them, we just didn't get it done.  That's definitely some motivation for us to get better this offseason."

The Vikings return all but one senior from last years team, and in Kapsch's eyes, that experience should pay off.

One such returnee is senior Traci Fransen, who led the team with 15 homeruns and was named All-NSIC First team, Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Central Region first team and Daktronics All-Central Region second team.

"All of us have got game experience," Kapsch said, "and we have some new freshmen who will be vital to our success."

The offseason program gives Melsted the chance to watch freshmen, and the freshmen a chance to prove they belong.

Freshmen Janelle Trautmann, Lindsey Spanton and Erin Kempf join a deep Vikings roster capable of putting runs on the board in a hurry, and strong defense to back up solid pitching.

"We've really been focusing on defense this fall," Kapsch said.  "That's an area we know we wanted to improve on, and the fall gives us the chance to do it."

Junior Ashley Meyer will be the team's top pitcher this season. She was last year's NSIC Rookie of the Year, and led the team with a 20-7 record and 121 strikeouts.

"We have a lot of talent," Kapsch said.  "This fall is about improvement and next spring we get to show it off."

The team will play one final exhibition match against South Dakota State this weekend.