Bowling Green State University Athletics
2013 Softball Season Preview
February 07, 2013 | Softball
Practice Photo Gallery
Audio: Hannah Fulk.WMA">Hannah Fulk | Jamie Kertes.WMA">Jamie Kertes | Lexie Valone.WMA">Lexie Valone
Audio: Hannah Fulk.WMA">Hannah Fulk | Jamie Kertes.WMA">Jamie Kertes | Lexie Valone.WMA">Lexie Valone
The Bowling Green State University softball team is set to begin its season Feb. 15, with the Orange and Brown heading to the USC Upstate Spartan Invitational. The Falcons were picked to finish first in the MAC East this season, a far cry from the beginning of 2012, when they were picked to finish last in the conference. Head coach Shannon Salsburg sat down with BGSUFalcons.com to preview the 2013 squad, touching on the added pressure that comes this season. The interview can be found below.
Q (BGSUFalcons.com): Talk about your expectations for this year.
SS (Shannon Salsburg): That's actually been a focus since the fall. We are actually more focused on what we didn't accomplish last year. The thing that we need to continue to work on is being able to focus when the game is on the line. We have put our players through a lot of challenge drills, individual and team like competitions in practice to force them to come through. It's been more about our mentality and our focus that we need to get us to that championship level, so that when push comes to shove this year, we're ready to push and shove.
Q: Pitchers Jamie Kertes and Paris Imholz played really well last year, along with the rest of the freshman class. What do you expect this season?
SS: We have a really nice freshmen class. I think you're going to see a lot of different roles for our young kids. We're still working to figure that out. Lexi Valone is going to compete for center field. She is a very strong defensive player who's continuing to work to step her offensive game up to the D1 level consistently. Then we have Jessica Greg and Merissa Shook who will vie for time in right field. They both bring very different things. They will find ways to make a difference on this team. It's a little different when they're pitchers because everyone sees the ball in their hands every single pitch, but I think from a defensive standpoint, the biggest change is that we're going to be young in the outfield. I think that we're a little bit more athletic than we have been in the past, and we have players who come in as true outfielders instead of infielders being turned into outfielders. It'll be interesting, but it's just a matter of them fighting for who's going to take over what role, and us being able to move forward.
Q: What do you think this year's team strength will be?
SS: I think this year's team has more depth than we had last year. I think leadership is a strength, and that our leaders have already taught our freshmen what it means to be a Bowling Green softball player. Everything from what you do on a Friday night to how you lift…and I think that's a big deal. I think chemistry is also a strength, even though this is a different group, you still see some of the similarities to last year in terms of kids getting along, hanging out and playing for each other. The kids also have their own team meetings now, which I think is pretty unique. It really rings true to our leaders, and how they want this program to be good this year, next year and the year after.
Q: What are you worried about going into this year?
SS: Focusing on offense and continuing to work on production. We brought in coach Chelsea (Cantillo) this year and she has done an outstanding job with our hitters. I think you're going to see a more powerful and explosive team. I think we have so much potential offensively and we've always just scraped the surface. I think we're going to get a lot deeper this year and we're going to make huge strides offensively. I couldn't be more pleased with where we are heading. We're not there yet, but we will be.
Q: What's one word to describe this year's team?
SS: This year, it's a really simple word, they're hungry. They want it bad and they have talked about what they want this year. Last season we weren't quite sure what we wanted. We know this year we want to be MAC Champs. We understand that there are steps, and we learned about some of those steps last year. We'll definitely grow, but these kids are so hungry for it. They can taste it. They know it's within their grasp, but it's a matter of playing the game the right way and continuing to get better as the season goes on. These kids, from day one, have been hungry for the championship and it's the first team since I've been here who has truly not only understood what the prize was, but how much they want it and how much they're willing to do to get it.
Q: Comparing this year's team to teams you've had in the past. Does this team have the highest expectations since you've been here in Bowling Green?
SS: I do feel that we have a much more balanced talent. We don't have a big drop between the kids that may not see a lot of time on the field versus our starters, which means that our starters are going to be pushed a lot more. If things aren't working we're going to have options, which we haven't always had. We have quality people and this year's team is definitely a reflection of the vision of what this program is going to be. We're very balanced with a lot of athleticism and a lot of kids that can do a lot of different things. It's a matter of making sure as a coaching staff we utilize the different things that each player can bring to the best of our ability. We definitely have a challenge ahead of us and right now we're just using preseason to figure out exactly what those roles are for those kids, to allow us to help this team be the best it absolutely can.
Q (BGSUFalcons.com): Talk about your expectations for this year.
SS (Shannon Salsburg): That's actually been a focus since the fall. We are actually more focused on what we didn't accomplish last year. The thing that we need to continue to work on is being able to focus when the game is on the line. We have put our players through a lot of challenge drills, individual and team like competitions in practice to force them to come through. It's been more about our mentality and our focus that we need to get us to that championship level, so that when push comes to shove this year, we're ready to push and shove.
Q: Pitchers Jamie Kertes and Paris Imholz played really well last year, along with the rest of the freshman class. What do you expect this season?
SS: We have a really nice freshmen class. I think you're going to see a lot of different roles for our young kids. We're still working to figure that out. Lexi Valone is going to compete for center field. She is a very strong defensive player who's continuing to work to step her offensive game up to the D1 level consistently. Then we have Jessica Greg and Merissa Shook who will vie for time in right field. They both bring very different things. They will find ways to make a difference on this team. It's a little different when they're pitchers because everyone sees the ball in their hands every single pitch, but I think from a defensive standpoint, the biggest change is that we're going to be young in the outfield. I think that we're a little bit more athletic than we have been in the past, and we have players who come in as true outfielders instead of infielders being turned into outfielders. It'll be interesting, but it's just a matter of them fighting for who's going to take over what role, and us being able to move forward.
Q: What do you think this year's team strength will be?
SS: I think this year's team has more depth than we had last year. I think leadership is a strength, and that our leaders have already taught our freshmen what it means to be a Bowling Green softball player. Everything from what you do on a Friday night to how you lift…and I think that's a big deal. I think chemistry is also a strength, even though this is a different group, you still see some of the similarities to last year in terms of kids getting along, hanging out and playing for each other. The kids also have their own team meetings now, which I think is pretty unique. It really rings true to our leaders, and how they want this program to be good this year, next year and the year after.
Q: What are you worried about going into this year?
SS: Focusing on offense and continuing to work on production. We brought in coach Chelsea (Cantillo) this year and she has done an outstanding job with our hitters. I think you're going to see a more powerful and explosive team. I think we have so much potential offensively and we've always just scraped the surface. I think we're going to get a lot deeper this year and we're going to make huge strides offensively. I couldn't be more pleased with where we are heading. We're not there yet, but we will be.
Q: What's one word to describe this year's team?
SS: This year, it's a really simple word, they're hungry. They want it bad and they have talked about what they want this year. Last season we weren't quite sure what we wanted. We know this year we want to be MAC Champs. We understand that there are steps, and we learned about some of those steps last year. We'll definitely grow, but these kids are so hungry for it. They can taste it. They know it's within their grasp, but it's a matter of playing the game the right way and continuing to get better as the season goes on. These kids, from day one, have been hungry for the championship and it's the first team since I've been here who has truly not only understood what the prize was, but how much they want it and how much they're willing to do to get it.
Q: Comparing this year's team to teams you've had in the past. Does this team have the highest expectations since you've been here in Bowling Green?
SS: I do feel that we have a much more balanced talent. We don't have a big drop between the kids that may not see a lot of time on the field versus our starters, which means that our starters are going to be pushed a lot more. If things aren't working we're going to have options, which we haven't always had. We have quality people and this year's team is definitely a reflection of the vision of what this program is going to be. We're very balanced with a lot of athleticism and a lot of kids that can do a lot of different things. It's a matter of making sure as a coaching staff we utilize the different things that each player can bring to the best of our ability. We definitely have a challenge ahead of us and right now we're just using preseason to figure out exactly what those roles are for those kids, to allow us to help this team be the best it absolutely can.
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