Coming off a three-game sweep over the University of Vermont, the Boston University softball team hosts Providence College this afternoon at the BU Softball Field. The Terriers (14-11, 3-0 America East) enter today’s matchup with positive momentum created by a six-game winning streak, which began last Wednesday against Central Connecticut State University.
“I think the most important thing for us is to continue to play like we have – getting the top of the order on base, moving them over to scoring positions and driving them in,” said BU coach Shawn Rychcik. “If we can continue that and get the pitching we’ve been getting, we’ll be in every single game.”
The Friars (15-11-1) figure to be a much more challenging foe than the Catamounts. PC has three players hitting over .300, including freshman Mary Sheehy, whose 17 RBI rank third in the Big East Conference.
As of yesterday, Rychcik had not decided which pitcher would take the hill this afternoon, but said he is pleased with BU’s recent pitching performances.
“Everything is based around pitching,” he said. “So, if we keep getting good efforts and we are only giving up one or two runs a game like we’ve been doing, we’re going to have a really good chance of winning those games.”
Rychcik is taking tomorrow’s game against the University of Rhode Island into consideration when determining today’s starter. URI’s biggest offensive threat is sophomore Leah DiBussolo, who is batting .400 with 22 RBI.
The two midweek games should help the Terriers in their preparation for this weekend’s three-game series at Stony Brook University.
“That is the nice thing about these midweek games,” Rychcik said. “They allow you to get some work for some people and prepare so you can get yourself into a good situation for the weekend.”
Last weekend was an ideal situation for the Terriers, as they began conference play with a three-game sweep. The performance gave Rychcik enough confidence in the Terrier defense that he focused primarily on offense at yesterday’s practice.
“I feel that we are alright on the defensive side of things,” he said. “We had the opportunity to get a lot of ground balls this week, so we’re going to get out there and hit a little bit to get ready for [today].”
It’s safe to assume the Terrier lineup for today’s game will be slightly different than it was during the three-game series against Vermont.
“Nobody puts nine [players] on a field for an entire year. That’s just the way it is. There are injuries. There are cold streaks. There are hot streaks. There are special situations,” Rychcik said. “You want to give opportunities to different people because they’ve earned it. They are talented players who should get out there.”
Rychcik said he will continue to platoon senior Molly Gallagher and sophomore Rachel Moeller in right field depending on BU’s offensive needs.
“After watching the pitching the first day [against UVM] I thought Molly could get a walk, and she got on base twice. And another day we’ll say, ‘Rachel is going to hit this kid well.'” Rychcik said. “So the lineup will continue to change.”
