Head coach Debbie Hedrick looks back on solid softball season
5/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 25, 2011
Arlington, Texas - Falling just short of first place in the Southland Conference regular season is both an accomplishment and disappointment for UT Arlington softball coach Debbie Hedrick. The Mavericks were right there and the ultra-competitive Hedrick can't help but wonder, "What if?"
"You get caught in the middle as a coach because obviously it was a great season," she said. "In looking at it on paper, probably a lot of folks don't know we were one game short of winning the conference, so that sticks out.
"You can't help but think about that, but it happened and there's nothing we can do about it. There were a lot of positive things that happened to our team."
Indeed there were. UTA went 33-25 overall, which was good for ninth season of .500 or better in Hedrick's successful 15-year run. The Mavericks' 20-10 mark in SLC was bested only by Texas A&M Corpus Christi going 21-9.
True freshman pitcher Callie Collins (18-10, 1.72 ERA) was named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region Second Team. She's the first UTA player to earn such honors in four years. Sophomore pitcher Teri Lyles rebounded after a slow start to post a 14-14 mark and 2.37 ERA.
Senior first baseman and unquestioned leader Rebecca Collom battled through nagging injuries to lead the team in every major offensive category, including average (.329), home runs (12), doubles (14), hits (51) and RBI (35). She joined Collins on the All-SLC first team.
Hedrick admitted that Collom will be tough to replace, adding that it will take a collective effort to fill that void.
"She did not have the year she's capable of having. Not even close," Hedrick said. "That's unfortunate. She was absolutely the leader and backbone of this team. I don't necessarily think I'll replace it in one year. That's too difficult.
"It's hard for one person for person to do it. It takes a team and it takes a majority. I do think there are some junior kids that will be seniors next year that started to step up with her. Hopefully those guys can step up and take over to an extent."
The Mavericks do have several promising letterwinners returning at the plate. Freshman outfielder Ashley McCarroll hit .300, second only to Collom. Junior catcher Erica LeFlore, junior infielder Courtney Zink, freshman outfielder Stephanie Gonzalez and junior infielder Courtney Enocksen each hit between .290 and .269. LeFlore was second on the team with six homers and 31 RBI.
Having the bulk of the lineup back to build around is a definite positive.
"At any time we had four, sometimes five freshmen in the lineup," Hedrick said. "Those kids are going to grow and mature. We know some things we need to improve on that are going to make us a better ball team next year. Overall, I'm obviously very pleased with the kids we have here and the new kids coming in."
The incoming freshman class includes Meagan Michele (South Grand Prairie HS), Samantha Kennedy (Mesquite HS), Sarah Higginbotham (Euless Trinity), and Hillary Steed (Forney HS). Hedrick expects sophomore transfer Bradie Baker to round out the staff as the third pitcher.
"My entire team knows that positions are open every year," Hedrick said. "There are no guarantees. We have some kids coming in that are going to battle for some spots."
Collins' spot as the in the circle figures to be pretty secure. Hedrick wasn't exactly surprised by the power pitcher out of Rusk.
"Sometimes you're not sure how your kids are going to react and handle college life," Hedrick said. "I do know the talent, for the most part, of the kids I get, except that some will catch on quicker and those are the kids who make the biggest impact.
"I knew Callie and I knew her strengths, so I knew that she was going to be a very good pitcher. I probably didn't realize to what extent. I'm not really surprised. I knew what she had coming in."
Though it was a solid season all the way around, Hedrick still sees room for improvement. She'd like to see better situational hitting, such as bunting, the two-strike approach and taking advantage of runners on base. Collins adding an offseason pitch is also on the list. Hedrick sent all the returning players home for the summer with specific instructions to work on.
So how close were the Mavericks to claiming the SLC title? UTA won the first two games of three-game series to close the regular season over the Islanders, but Corpus Christi won the finale to finish a game ahead and claim the title.
"You're always disappointed if you feel you had a shot to win first place," Hedrick said. "I'm a competitive coach, so when you have that opportunity you have to take advantage of it. It's not every year. There are years when you're competitive, but maybe not enough to win the conference. That goal remains and that's what we want to push for next year."
