January 19, 2011

Seniors Develop Team Chemistry for 2011 Season

During the 2010 softball season, Mercer head coach Mike Raynor and his staff tried just about every tactic and method to turn around a sluggish offense that just a year prior helped the team to a 40-19 record and a spot in the Atlantic Sun Championship game.

 

The attempts didn’t quite pan out as the coaching staff would have liked and the Bears missed the A-Sun Conference tournament for the first time in three years. This year Raynor returns a solid group of six seniors and hopes a fresh approach with a focus on team chemistry and mental toughness will be the winning combination for this talented team.

 

“Last year it took us until the end of the season for us to look at it and realize what had happened,” senior second baseman Amanda Santa Maria said. “We were on a freight train and couldn’t stop. We have to realize that we need to control what we can control, which is us, and keep a positive attitude about it.”

 

That downward spiral left the Bears with a disappointing 25-30 overall record and a subpar .230 team batting average that was fourth-worst in the conference. The seniors admit that many of the team’s troubles at the plate last season stemmed from putting too much pressure on themselves.  

 

“There was a point where we started losing and everyone started to panic and no one knew how to react to it,” Santa Maria said. “Offensively, it’s just relaxing. We were pushing way too hard last year.”

 

Second-year assistant coach Kelley Bretscher has seen the Bears program go through its fair share of ups and downs, both as a player for Mercer from 2003 to 2007 and now as a coach. She too, felt the frustration of the team’s offensive problems last year and has taken a proactive approach in her coaching this offseason.

 

Bretscher implemented a series of mental training sessions aimed at giving the players a competitive advantage at the plate. The players have committed to meeting and discussing a series of sports psychology books every week and have worked hard to mentally prepare for the long season ahead. Already it looks like the training has had an impact.

 

“Kelley has done everything and anything to help us with our hitting both mentally and physically,” senior outfielder Anna Johnson said. “I think we have a lot more confidence just being mentally tough at this level more than anything else.”

 

“She is trying to make us carry the values that we have in everyday life onto the field,” senior pitcher Natalie Jones said. “Off the field we are proud to be a Mercer Bear and proud to wear the Orange and Black and she wants us to carry that same pride and confidence when we play.”  

 

Feeding off the new positive approach and a clear message from the coaching staff, the seniors admit that they can already tell a difference in the team chemistry and atmosphere.

 

“I think everyone is much more about the team,” Santa Maria said. “I think every senior has a separate role on the team and understand how they can help the team personally.”

 

“Our chemistry as seniors is really strong and we hope that it is translating to the rest of the team.” Senior pitcher Jenni Holtz said. “I feel like our mentality and chemistry as a team has definitely come a long way.”

 

The Bears begin the 2011 campaign with a home doubleheader against Alcorn St. on February 10, but the seniors are quick to point out that this season is much more about the process than looking to far off goals.

 

“Coach Kelley always talks about thinking 200 feet ahead,” senior first baseman Allison Jones said. “So we are trying to break it down and not worry about the end results because then the results we do want will come."

 

In addition to the six returning seniors, Mercer also welcomes back seven starters and the full complement of last season’s pitching staff. That experience will contribute to the Bears success this spring, but if anything is clear just weeks before opening day, it’s that this group of players relish playing with each other.