CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- We talk a lot about basketball and the upcoming football season, but let's not forget about college softball.
SIU Head Softball Coach Kerri Blaylock has over 700 career wins and she could pick up a lot more this season. This salukis team is good, really good.
The crack of the bat, the pop of the mit, SIU Softball is back.
Salukis were on a 9 game winning streak when last years season was cut short. That squad was 15-6. With a good blend of veterans and young players returning, this team could make some noise.
"In 2019, I said they were one of the best teams I ever had and we got an at-large and I will tell you this team could be better," Blaylock said.
"No doubt. I don't blow smoke, and I won't blow smoke to my kids but this is one of the best teams I've ever coached because we are complete."
Almost two weeks of practice in the books, chemistry is evident.
"They are very, very focused right now."
"Getting that season ripped from under us really did suck and I think it just lit a flame behind all of our butts and we were like let's get it this season," SIU graduate student Maddy Vermejan said.
Some players like Jenny Jansen got to play over the summer, whiles others perfected their craft on their own.
Jansen, now a senior, will continue to provide pop in the order. She hit 3 homeruns and drove in 19 over 21 games last year.
"Do feel at practice, I've been hitting the ball really well and I just feel pretty comfortable and I'm anxious and ready to go," Jansen said.
Maddie Vermejan, a grad student, knows how to get on base. She led the Missouri Valley in walks and was fifth in the league with on base percentage. On defense she's as solid as they come. Her junior year she was perfect in the field at second base. As a sophomore she was the MVC defensive player of the year. And as an upeclassmen she's sharing that knowledge with the younger players.
"You can never really stop working on the fundamentals. If you are good at them, you will continue to work on them and I do help a lot of people with that," Vermejan said. "I always tell them to stay low on the ball, use the back of your glove when you're fielding a ground ball and just stay down and through the ball so I'll pick up on that. Those are the things I pick up on and once you get that, that's when you can get towards the second secondary play and help them with that."
Sophomore pitcher Sarah Harness looks to build off a remarkable freshman campaign where she led the MVC with 9 wins. The two time Missouri Valley pitcher of the week was tough to score on. She sported a 1.97 earned run average.
"Just to seek an opponent and beat them, that's just fun to me, competing, it's a great time to me," Harness said. "I feel like everyone is so amped to kick someone's butt, I think it's a great time."
