Lady Roadrunners look to improve on season with fall campaign

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) softball team had one of its most successful seasons last spring, with the most victories in program history. SFCC is looking to continue the momentum with this year's team, which will include a lot of new faces.

Head Coach Michele Rupard has been pleased with how the fall has gone so far.

"We've only played two games, but we have been able to practice quite a bit," said Rupard. "We've been able to go outside to practice about 15 times, so that's been good. Everyone seems eager and competitive, that is a good thing to see in practice. We have a ton of athletes this year, so we have to figure out where they best fit. Our pitching staff has been deep so far. We have six or seven girls who can throw. However, most of them are freshman, so we need to figure out their strengths."

Coach Rupard has some specific things she would like to get out of the fall.

"Winning in the fall is really not that important for me," said Rupard. "It is more important for our student-athletes to be seen by the four-year schools we are playing. It is also very important for a chance to get playing time, so that we can see what we have. I change up the lineup halfway through each game. Our positions change inning to inning. The fall is just an evaluation period for us."

"Our returners have looked good," said Rupard. "We have a lot of freshman pitchers who have stood out. They have all pitched our first couple of fall games and all handled themselves well on the mound."

SFCC will play almost exclusively four-year schools throughout the fall. Coach Rupard wants to play schools where her returning sophomores are interested in continuing their academic and athletic careers.

"On October 11, we will host Central Methodist University, as part of our alumni weekend," said Rupard. "We will have an alumni social on Friday night and a slow pitch game Saturday morning."

Coach Rupard has been pleased with the way the freshman class has transitioned to the college environment both on and off the field.

"The freshman class is required to go to an additional study hall," said Rupard. "This is to try and help them learn time management. They have adjusted well to our schedule with morning CrossFit and afternoon practices. We have also done over 100 hours of volunteering in the fall. Each student-athlete has done 5 to 10 hours of volunteering in the last six weeks. I think they have done a good job of juggling their schedule.

"We are excited about the group that we brought in, along with the group that we brought back," said Rupard. "Over the past nine years, we've developed our culture. We are transitioning into being an extremely competitive program. I think our kids are responding well, while still upholding the things that are important to us."

David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics