Weather didn’t stop the 49er women’s softball team as they opened their season against East Tennessee State on Sunday. They came out on top with an overall score of 7-3. With only two errors, there are high hopes for this team to do great things this year. “It’s always good to win your first one, and I was very pleased with the offense,” Head Coach, Almee Devos, confirmed.
Charlotte was suppose to be hosting the 49er round-robin tournament but ended up with Charlotte playing only one game, – and not a bad game at that.
Unfortunately, the weather was the main issue. With snow and slush coming in on Friday and Saturday, the weekend almost didn’t happen. DeVos stated that the team, coaching staff and even parents helped to scrape off the snow that fell earlier this Valentine’s Day weekend. With the weather conditions being as they were, there was little chance the field would air out by Sunday, but it pulled through.
“We worked the field all day yesterday. If we hadn’t, there would be no way the field would be playable,” DeVos said in regards to the shaky weather conditions.
Even with the awful weather, the 49ers were ready to play to win. Practicing in the cold, rain and snow made it seem all too easy to take the first win home. Charlotte got numbers on the board when freshman Briana Gwaltney came up to bat. Her first appearance in a Charlotte uniform staked her claim, emerging from the dugout. Gwaltney pummeled a ball over centerfield, putting Charlotte up two runs to none in the second inning. However, Gwaltney wasn’t finished yet. She hit not one homerun but two, the second homerun coming from the bottom of the fifth inning. When asked about her first collegiate appearance for the 49ers, she enthusiastically responded, “It was awesome. I honestly didn’t think the second hit would be a homerun, because it popped up and looked like it wasn’t going to make it over.”
Not only was Charlotte dominating offensively, they were taking charge defensively. Returning senior, Emily Jeffery, pitched a good first game as well. In Charlotte’s home opener, she struck out 13 opponents, making the game look simple.
“I was anxious at first, but then everything settled down,” stated Jeffery. Last year, Jeffery broke the single-season record with 294 outs; it seems like she’s headed down that path again.
In regards to Charlotte’s upcoming season, things look good. The team is excited, and so are the fans with the newly inserted bleachers. Jeffery said, “We’re ready to see what we can do during this season. We have some things to work on, but once we get going, we’ll be fine.”
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