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It was more like a let-’em-play approach. And why not? Helixon did his homework during the recruiting process last spring and summer and had every confidence his young players would succeed in college.
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UW-La Crosse softball outfielder Rachel Weyer warms up before a recent practice at Mitchell Hall. Erik Daily photo |
Weyer, Ahnen and Schultz have done that so far, helping the Eagles to a 12-3 start to their season following spring trips to Michigan and Arizona.
“It is a real strong group of freshmen, I knew they’d come in and play a significant role,” Helixon said.
Weyer, an outfielder from Loyal, Wis., broke out during UW-L’s 10-game trip to Tucson. She batted .439 with 15 runs, four doubles and nine RBI. For the season, Weyer is batting .500 with six homers and 19 RBI and has started all 15 games.
“I saw her play a handful of times last spring,” Helixon said. “She hits with the method we teach and she’s an amazing talent.”
Helixon has Weyer batting leadoff, not a traditional power spot, but Weyer is also good at getting on base (.532 pct.) and is 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts, so leadoff is probably where she’ll stay.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Weyer, who hit six home runs her senior year in high school. “I didn’t think I’d hit this well. Maybe because (Helixon) expected more of me right away, it’s pushed me.”
Schultz, a 6-foot-1 right-hander from Annandale, Minn., has appeared in seven games, with five starts, and is 5-1 with a 2.69 ERA and 43 strikeouts (plus 21 walks) in 39 innings. She also has a save.
Ahnen, a Sparta, Wis., native, has taken over the starting shortstop job and is batting .366 with four extra-base hits and has stolen six bases.
“I definitely think our freshman class has added a lot,” senior second baseman Sarah Pfeifer said. “They came in wide-eyed and ready to go, but nothing fazes them, either.”
With their 12 wins, the Eagles have already equaled last season’s total (12-26). UW-L was picked seventh out of nine teams in this year’s conference preseason poll.
As a team, UW-L has hit 17 home runs with 44 stolen bases in 15 games. The Eagles have a good chance to set school records in both of those diverse categories this year. The record for homers is 18 (2001) and the stolen base record is 69 (1997).
Sophomore Rachel Croak leads the team with 15 stolen bases on 17 attempts.
Helixon said he has eight players who can run from home to first base in 2.9 seconds or less.
“When we were down in Arizona, a few coaches from the East Coast came up to me and said they don’t see speed like that in their part of the country,” Helixon said. “It’s something we work hard on. We have speed training every day in practice.”
Power, speed, pitching: UW-L appears to have it all, but Helixon isn’t declaring the season a success yet.
“I certainly think we’re in the mix and we feel good about where we’re at,” Helixon said. “We talked about it (on returning to practice after three days off over Easter weekend) and the consensus was that we really haven’t done anything yet. We have to keep building.”
Joel Badzinski can be reached at (608) 791-8402 or joel.badzinski@lee.net
