PROVO -- With a rigorous fall schedule completed, the BYU softball team looks forward to building upon a strong foundation developed during the fall.
"We had a very successful fall," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "This is an extremely exciting team to coach with a lot of weapons including speed, power, defense and pitching."
After losing three seniors who were all integral parts of the Cougars’ fourth-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, the remaining Cougars stepped in to fill in the missing pieces.
With seven freshmen and one transfer, the new Cougars acclimated to BYU’s system quickly. All seven freshmen made big contributions from the plate while putting up a strong defensive showing from all areas of the field.
The offense got a taste of competitive pitching, facing returning pitchers Christie Zinanti and Paige Affleck in the inter-squad games. Affleck returns for her sophomore season after leading the Cougars with a 1.42 ERA while contributing a 14-3 record. After recording a 20-win season her freshman year, Zinanti was 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA last season.
The newly formatted fall schedule brought a greater level of competition to the fall, but also came with a price. After playing at least three games a week, the physical exertion took a toll on the players’ bodies and several players were injured by the end of the fall season.
The injuries provided Eakin an opportunity to toy with the lineup and Eakin has seen the depth he has to draw from.
"We have the depth to withstand the injuries," Eakin said. "Injuries are never good but they came at a time when we can work to get healthy."
The Cougars begin the 2009 season on Feb. 6 when they head to St. George to co-host the Red Desert Classic.