Pitching staff looks to play its role in success of Wichita State softball this season

Confidence is everything for a pitcher in the circle. And some days, Wichita State sophomore Alison Cooper feels like she can’t be touched.

But when you throw live against hitters like Sydney McKinney, Addison Barnard, Lauren Lucas and Lauren Mills in practice, there are days when Cooper feels a little overwhelmed.

“You have to remember that you’re going up against some of the best hitters you’re ever going to face,” Cooper said. “There are times where you have a bad practice where they’re hitting well off of you, but then there are also those days where you’re ahead of them and beating them and that gives you the confidence to know that you can do it. A lot of offenses we’re going to face are not going to be nearly as good as our own, so I think going against them in practice helps prepare us for the year.”

The Shockers figure to once again have one of the most explosive offenses in college softball with their two All-American sluggers returning, as well as many other big bats in the lineup.

But how a young and inexperienced pitching staff develops will likely determine how far the Wichita State softball team can go this season, which kicks off Friday with a 5-games-in-3-days tournament in San Marcos, Texas against the likes of Texas State, Villanova and Kent State in the Bobcat Classic.

“They’re going to have their slumps and they’re going to have to be able to overcome those,” WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “We’re not going to have perfect games. They’re not shut-down pitchers. They’re pitchers that have to hit their spots and be crafty and really show up every game and be the best version of themselves to really be at their competitive best. That’s not always going to happen and we know that, so just reminding them to have confidence knowing that they have a great offense and good defense supporting them.”

WSU graduated its top two pitchers from last season, Caitlin Bingham and Erin McDonald, but feature an up-and-coming returner and a promising transfer.

Cooper, a sophomore lefty who threw 64 innings as a spot starter last season, has the most innings thrown at the Div. 1 level. The staff’s most veteran pitcher in terms of age is junior Lauren Howell, a transfer from Arkansas.

Other options include sophomore Kenzie Schopfer, who threw 25 innings last season for WSU, and a pair of freshmen in Olathe native Sarah Proberts, another lefty, and Alex Aguilar.

Bredbenner doesn’t anticipate an ace emerging for WSU to ride for heavy innings. Instead, the coach is preparing to mix and match pitchers in games more than perhaps ever before during her tenure at WSU. Cooper, Howell and Aguilar seem better suited as starters, while Schopfer and Proberts could find roles as relievers.

“Softball is a game about looks and mixing it up and making adjustments,” Bredbenner said. “Anytime you’re going to play a team twice, you’re going to have to show them something different.

“It’s a long season and we’re going to take it one game at a time and see who is better as a starter and who is better at relief and see if we’ve got somebody we feel good about closing at the end. We’ll do what we can over the next couple of weeks to figure that out. When it comes to conference play, we’re going to go with who’s throwing the best. That might mean somebody starts two of three games or three different pitchers start; we’ll see.”

Howell is an intriguing prospect for the Shockers, as she was one of the country’s top-rated high school pitchers in the class of 2020 but never could crack the regular rotation at Arkansas, a nationally-ranked SEC program. Howell registered just 27 innings of work the past two seasons with the Razorbacks.

“I was pretty low with my confidence and then I got here and it just felt like home,” Howell said. “I did get to learn from some of the best in the game (at Arkansas) and I think I can bring that leadership here. I think we’re going to be really good this year and I’m excited to go out and make the most out of all of my opportunities.”

There is inherent pressure on the pitching staff because of the vast potential the offense offers the team.

WSU not only expects to play in its fifth NCAA Regional since 2016, it wants to reach the program’s first Super Regional this season. In order to advance that far in the postseason, pitching will be key.

“There definitely is a little bit of pressure, but you also have to think about the relief of knowing the run support is going to be there for you,” Cooper said. “If we all work together, we know we can get through every game. I think we’ll have the pitching and have a good bullpen this year that is going to support each other and get through those games. We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We just have to go out there and play like I know that we can.”

After the feeling-out period in the fall, the pitching staff has started to find its groove in the weeks leading up to the season.

McKinney, speaking for the hitters, said she has noticed improvement from WSU’s pitchers ahead of this week’s opening tournament.

“We have one of the best offenses in the country, so they take their beatings every now and then, but recently they’ve been hitting their spots really well,” McKinney said. “I think they’re learning what they can’t throw to who and that’s going to be big for them going into the season knowing what they need to throw and trusting that they’ll hit their spots. I’m really proud of them these last two weeks. They’ve been killing it.”

Power hitting can carry WSU through most of the competition in the regular season, but last season proved the Shockers must be ready to win close, low-scoring games against quality competition when the stakes are raised.

The Shockers’ high-scoring offense was limited to six total runs in their final two home games against UCF with the American Athletic Conference title on the line, then to four runs in a loss to South Florida in the conference tournament semifinals and to a total of eight runs in three games at the Fayetteville Regional.

“They’re throwing against some of the best hitters in the country, so on those days where they are getting big outs and they’re throwing really well, then hopefully that will kind of simulate what it’s going to be like in those big games,” Bredbenner said. “They pitched the best they have all season on Sunday (in a scrimmage), so I’m hoping that progression is starting to take shape and they’re getting the confidence they need to be successful this season.”