As college softball play got underway this past weekend with games that counted, team's fans are either ready to crown their teams champions or throw in the towel for the entire season. Let me assure you that pre-conference games aren't really a good bellwether as to where any particular team will end up at the end of the regular season.
You probably noticed, if you watched any of the games, that you were seeing both a lot of new players and regular players that were not in their normal positions on the field. This time of the year is when the coaches get to play around with their lineups and see which freshmen deserve the chance to get a starting position on the team or allow regular players to get use to another position in case their needed due to another player going down with an injury.
When it comes to the pitchers, it gives the coaches a chance to see who is going to jump to the front of the pack and become the team's ace pitcher. It also acts as a time for some players to get the rust off of their arm, as in the case of Texas' Erica Wright who, after sitting out the entirety of last season due to a rib injury, got the chance to pitch in her first live game action in over a year this past weekend.
So if your team went undefeated this past weekend, don't pull out the champagne bottle just yet. And if your team suffered some losses, don't worry. Your entire season isn't over either so put the sobbing towel away and get your big #1 foam finger back out so you can root for your team.
