The Virginia softball team, which entered March with a respectable 7-9 record, did not fare well during Spring Break, going 1-7.
The Cavaliers (8-16) traveled to Jacksonville, Fla. for the Crispers/Jacksonville University Invitational Friday, March 2. They lost their first game Friday afternoon to Notre Dame (7-7) 4-1. On Saturday, they lost two games, one to No. 13 powerhouse Michigan (20-1) 8-0 and another one to Notre Dame, 6-3. They lost yet another 8-0 game to Michigan Sunday, followed by a 10-2 loss at the hands of tournament host Jacksonville (4-17). The Cavaliers salvaged a win in their final game of the tournament, an 8-4 win over Jacksonville, in the two teams' second meeting.
As the Cavaliers traveled back up the East Coast to Virginia, they made a stop at East Carolina (14-6) Tuesday, March 6 for a doubleheader with the Pirates. Virginia put up a gallant effort in the first game but fell short 4-3 and then also fell in the second game 7-1.
The team played eight games over break and the sheer amount of play no doubt wore down the Cavaliers.
"Six games in one weekend are a lot," senior catcher Michelle Salmiery said. "We played a lot in high school, but not that much, usually four games in a weekend. Playing through that was something we struggled with. It made it difficult for us to bring everything we needed to every game."
The Cavaliers have oftenstruggled this year when they were not on the same page.
"Softball is a three-part game," Salmiery said. "You need offense, defense and pitching. Crossing that bridge will be difficult. We haven't clicked and been cohesive. The hardest part of getting back on track will be having all aspects clicking at the same time. We have really good moments of offense, defense and pitching."
The team will need to mainly work on defense to win more games.
"Team defense is what we are focusing on," Virginia coach Karen Johns said. "Both areas [fielding and pitching] need to make a big improvement. They've [the players] been conscientious in what they did over practice. They just need to trust it and take it to the field now."
Not all was lost over the break for the team. The Cavaliers were able to play good teams and learned to play under trying circumstances.
"We exposed ourselves to a high level of competition and that is what this program needs," Johns said. "We had a couple of injuries and learned to play through adversity. What they learned they'll be able to take into the North Carolina series and go down there and play really well."
The focus in sports concerns how a team improves upon mistakes, something the Cavaliers hope to do as they continue their schedule.
"One key to bouncing back is having confidence and learning from mistakes," Salmiery said. We can't let the past drag us down. We have to focus on the ACC teams now."
Despite the shaky Spring Break, Virginia is poised and looking to change their fortune when they begin conference play soon.
"The team seems fine," Johns said. "We practiced hard the latter part of Spring Break and got some good work done. No one is panicking. Everyone is under control. We've just got to play better softball in order to make a move in the ACC."
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