Pitt Softball (8-22, 0-9 ACC) fell to Miami of Ohio this past Wednesday in their afternoon matchup at Vartabedian Field, the final score (10-6).
With new head coach Jenny Allard, returning players and new transfers the team is still looking to build up their chemistry. Games like this one against Miami help to serve as good opportunities to challenge the team for difficult ACC play ahead in the schedule.
Junior catcher Amanda “Tuta” Ramirez had two home runs in Pitt’s clash with Miami this week. She mentioned already seeing improvement in her team from the beginning of the season to now.
“I think our offense is really breaking out now. These past few games we’ve been playing we’ve really been stringing more things together, scoring in more innings, it’s been good to see for us,” said Ramirez.
Pitt was able to score in four of the seven innings they played against Miami. Something head coach Jenny Allard also talked about improving upon.
“I think offensively we’ve come a long way. One of our goals has been to score in multiple innings which we did, so that was great,” said Allard.
Junior outfielder Kylie Griggs also came up with a homerun off Miami on Wednesday. She acknowledged the effort the pitching staff has been putting in this season.
“I definitely think our pitching staff is working super hard to continue to get better. We’ve faced a lot of hard opponents and I feel like they’ve really been stepping up,” said Griggs.
Speaking of stepping up, Coach didn’t hesitate to highlight senior infielder Kat Rodriguez when asked about who steps up as a leader for this team.
“I think Kat’s really been a leader, she’s our lead off-batter and will step in and set a tone in the box. She’s also a leader on the field, kind of like a little bit of a field general,” said Allard.
Miami proved to be a tough opponent for Pitt, but games like this serve as good preparation for the team as they take on some of the best teams in the country in the near future.
“Miami really can swing it. It definitely helps our pitchers, but even our hitters get up to a challenge. It’s gonna help us be able to come out even harder this weekend against Louisville,” said Griggs.
“Miami is a great team, they’re hitting the ball well. I think they’re a good team for us to play in the middle of the week to lead us into some of the tough teams we’ll be seeing in the ACC soon,” said Ramirez.
Although Pitt softball has a lot of new faces this year, they’ve really been working to build up their team chemistry.
“It’s growing for sure, we have a lot of new people. We have transfers, returners, first-years but I feel like we’re really coming together,” said Griggs.
“I think our team as a whole we’re friends on and off the field. It helps us trust each other on the field, it’s great,” said Ramirez.
Coach was able to weigh in how she has seen the chemistry develop in her first season.
“It’s really building,” said Allard. “They’ve got good rapport, and create a very supportive environment and are looking out for each other. Obviously as a new head coach we are really trying to build a culture.”
“We’ve brought in six transfers, we have 11 returners, five first-years and a new coaching staff. We want a supportive environment where people really feel valued, and I think we’re really working to achieve that,” said Allard.
With Pitt softball putting in a lot of work there’s no denying they’ve got the heart and drive to put up a fight this season.
Both Ramirez and Griggs didn’t struggle to give an answer when asked what separates Pitt softball from other programs.
“I think we have grit, we show up everyday and we work hard. Sometimes the outcome isn’t always the one we want, but we still show up the next day fighting,” said Ramirez.
“We really get after it every single game,” said Griggs. “We don’t give up, no matter how many runs we’re down or how many games we’re down, we really put up a fight no matter what.”