SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State softball is ready to shake the rust off and return to the diamond for the first time since last March as they prepare to open the 2021 season with a short trip to Stanford for a three-game series against the Cardinal beginning on Friday.
The Spartans, under the direction of first year head coach Tammy Lohmann, have traveled a difficult road to get to this point, with restrictions and other challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic all playing a role in making just playing a game feel like an unachievable feat at one point. But the odds have been defeated, the chalk lines have been laid out and the Spartans are indeed going to have a season to play. For Coach Lohmann and her staff, just getting to have the players back on the field and provide them with an opportunity to play the game they all love is worth all the frustrations and setbacks.
One thing for certain in this most unorthodox of seasons is that Spartan fans are bound to see something new from the Spartan Softball Program – new faces on both the staff and roster, and new philosophies and game plans.
"I think that we are going to see a lot of 'new'," Lohmann said. "We are going to see a lot of athletes that are going to be filling positions that maybe they have never typically played before, so I'm excited to see some fresh faces out there. Then of course we'll have our returners back as well. I'm just excited to put a new team out there and meet the fresh faces. It's going to be a lot intermixing. It's going to be about who is able to compete when the ball is thrown and who is going to be willing to compete at game time."
For Coach Lohmann, taking over a program for the first time presented a challenge. Taking over a program for the first time during a global pandemic presented a whole different kind of challenge. Unable to meet with her athletes in person for a long time after her hire, she had to rely on Zoom calls to get to know the team until restrictions were finally lessened that enabled the players to return to campus. But now that everyone is here and accounted for and with some full team practices finally under her belt, Coach Lohmann has been able to begin to implement her philosophies and start getting ready for the first pitch.
"I like to have aggressive baserunners," Lohmann said. "The players are definitely learning how to be more aggressive. We are going to take every 60 feet that we possibly can. We are also going to see more aggressiveness at the plate, more doubles and power. Coach James Davenport has done a great job making adjustments with the team to give them more power numbers. I think we are also going to be pitching by committee, but playing every game as a team. We are going to have people intermixing and give everyone a chance to showcase their talent."
Davenport joined the Spartans roster from Texas Tech in January as an assistant coach, following fellow assistant coach Leticia Olivarez to the bay. Coach Lohmann is excited in the work that they have already provided and sees growth from her players already.
"I'm extremely excited to have Coach Letty on staff here," Lohmann said. "She's always been a pitching coach that I've wanted to work alongside with and I'm excited to see what she's going to bring to this staff. She is going to bring some new faces to our pitching circle. We've got a couple athletes now that we are working with now to give us more of a pitching staff instead of just a couple pitchers. She has done a tremendous job with Jenessa Ullegue and with Caroline Bowman as well. I've seen such tremendous growth from fall to spring from both of those players. We also have Jackie Rookaird, a new addition to the roster from last semester. Coach Letty has always done a phenomenal job at her craft and getting the best out of her players."
From a personnel standpoint, the Spartans return a number of starters and Letterwinners from a season ago when SJSU finished 21-5 in the shortened year. The team's top three batting average leaders – Alyssa Graham (.385), Jocylyn Vidal (.380) and Makayla Englestad (.373) are all back, as are pitchers Jenessa Ullegue (2.54 ERA) and Caroline Bowman (1.83 ERA). A high-quality signing class also brought a number of talented fresh faces to the lineup. Coach Lohmann already has high expectations for a pair of them this season.
"Malia Luna and Ashley Rico have both really stepped up," Lohmann said. "They are not only tremendous athletes on the field but also tremendous leaders. Their softball IQ is beyond most."
The journey to get opening day has already been difficult, and it won't be any easier for the Spartans once the first pitch is tossed as they open against a very talented Stanford squad in Palo Alto.
"They are a great program, obviously," Lohmann said. "Jessica Allister has turned that program back around to a top-25 team. We're excited to play them. You want to play the best teams to prepare yourselves. Stanford is a well-prepared and well-coached team, and they are going to be in the same boat we are in regards of how we've been able to prepare or not prepare."
