By Brendan Holba
(The views of Brendan Holba do not necessarily reflect those of Cardinal Sports Zone)
Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades; unfortunately, almost does not count in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This past weekend against top-twenty-five Florida State, the Cardinals almost took the series; two weeks ago, they almost took the series from the current number-one team in all of college softball, the Duke Blue Devils. It has been a really tough opening to the conference schedule for the Cardinals. Three of the four series, while at home, have been against teams ranked in the top twenty-five of college softball. While almost doesn’t count in the win column, I do think it counts in the minds of this team. Iron sharpens iron, and these tests are going to pay dividends in the conference tournament and hopefully the NCAA tournament. Hanging in late in games, pushing top competition to the edge, and standing strong gives this group everything they need to win big games when the pressure is highest. It stings in the moment, but I believe that Coach Holly Aprile is going to use these almosts as opportunities for growth.
The Big 12 reigns supreme in college softball, mostly, but not entirely, because of Oklahoma. However, when Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC, the powers will shift, and the Big 12 will drop off. But the ACC is making a stand as one of the top conferences. The ascension of Duke to the top of the poll this week is the perfect example of how far the conference has come, but also shows just how tough the competition is for a team like Louisville, which lined up three of the top twenty-five teams in a month. Yet, the glass-half-full view on this is that the toughest tests are behind them, and now this group can take what they have learned and apply it to the rest of the conference schedule.
One of the biggest reasons for my optimism is the offense’s ability to get on base and collect timely hits—even in the losses. Consistent hitting is fundamental to building offensive pressure and scoring runs. Top to bottom, this order has been balanced and consistent. Riley Frizell has provided the needed pop in the middle of the lineup, and even in the absence of Easton Lotus, the top of the order, particularly Daisy Hess, has been doing a great job setting the table and putting the pressure on their opponents.
Coach Aprile spoke on it, and it has been the theme of the year: How was the young pitching staff going to handle the pressure? Aside from a few games that have gotten away from them, this staff, and the excellent defense behind them, is exactly the reason why the almosts this past month have been almosts. Duke and Florida State are two high-powered offenses, and the Cardinal pitching staff kept them at bay. Alyssa Zabala, while only a sophomore, is developing into the ace the team needs, and the group behind her is only getting better.
The rest of the season isn’t a cakewalk. The ACC conference has turned into a juggernaut, and even the teams that don’t have a shiny ranking next to their name are still among the top of college softball. But if you find yourself optimistic about the rest of this season, like I am, the lessons learned by running an early gauntlet are going to sharpen this team. They will rally behind the almost maybes. The drive to keep pushing will lead to more wins. A group of young players will grow up quickly. The how-to-win awareness will expand, and come late May, the almost maybes will become sure things.
Upcoming: The Cardinals will host Kentucky, who has been in and out of the top twenty-five all season, before two conference road weekends against Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Both of whom are very formidable opponents. In terms of the conference standings and the NCAA tournament, these are two huge series that the Cardinals need to win before Clemson comes calling.
