Feb. 13, 2012
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The wind howled. Temperatures dropped. Team jerseys were lost under hooded sweatshirts with numbers on the back. Batting gloves doubled as, well, as regular gloves.
Teammates wrapped in blankets huddled in the dugout, chain-link fencing mocking the thought of walls protecting the players from the icy wind.
It may have been worse on the field. Yes, there are trees all around Leonard R. Saunders Field, but they tower above the diamond, providing no relief from the bluster - only intermittent shade, the last thing anyone wants. Pine needles descended like javelins, infield dirt swirled, and for a while on Friday, rain even fell.
To suggest the softball season has started coolly for the Fayetteville State Broncos is understood by all parties. Hampered by injuries, the Lady Broncos are still in search of their first win, even after three doubleheaders in three days over the weekend.
But despite the wind and cold, and in the face of tough competition from the north, there is cause for optimism for the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos. All three doubleheaders came against programs hailing from West Virginia, each of which has a long history dealing with difficult playing conditions, particularly to start a season.
It's been a tough go for Fayetteville State (0-11), which opened the season on Feb. 4 with three games in a round robin tournament in Raleigh. The Lady Broncos hosted Salem International in their home opener on Friday, and struggled with fielding in dropping that doubleheader against as consistent winner.
And injuries have piled up in the early going for Fayetteville State. Sencerae Locklear (Fr., Fairmont, N.C.) was off to a brilliant start in the middle of the lineup for the Lady Broncos, opening with hits in nine of her first 15 at-bats for a .600 average. She reached base in 11 of 17 plate appearances, but it was on the basepaths she was injured after diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Locklear did not play in either of the next two doubleheaders this weekend.
Then there's Kalneisha Drawhorn (Fr., Rowland, N.C.), who did not play at all this weekend because of injury. Drawhorn, a stabilizer for the middle of the field at second base, was batting .545 with a .727 slugging percentage when she went down. She's expected back in another week.
While Locklear's and Drawhorn's injuries are the most glaring, it's clear the Lady Broncos are not yet at full strength throughout the roster. Injuries and the weather aside, Fayetteville State enters the season with a far younger and inexperienced team than the ones of the past two seasons.
The Lady Broncos have been regulars of the CIAA Softball Championships under the direction of head coach Miguel "Coach Who" Justiniano, and figure to show vast improvement over the course of the season. The win-loss may never be a true indicator of the caliber of this particular Lady Broncos' team. (Fayetteville State also has scheduled a trip to Florida's Rebel Games, a spring softball tournament that features many of Division-II's elite programs. It's a trip designed to prepare the Lady Broncos for the toughness needed to compete in CIAA play.) Coach Who's primary concern is to have his team playing its best during the conference season, which doesn't begin until the CIAA Roundup on March 9.
All of that said, Fayetteville State is already showing signs of improvement, despite the demanding hand it's been dealt.
"We're looking better and better," says Coach Who. "This team shows tremendous heart, and as a coach, that's the No. 1 thing you're always looking for. We have a team that keeps fighting and never gives up.
"I've had more talented teams that never recovered from tough defeats. This team has great will. And they have a better chance at improving over the course of a season and coming together."
The Lady Broncos nearly won both games against Concord on Saturday, falling 2-1 in the first game before a late rally enabled Concord to pull away in a 7-3 win in the nightcap.
And on Sunday, the Lady Broncos shook off an ugly loss and the wind and cold by showing tremendous fight in the nightcap against Davis and Elkins. Twice Fayetteville State rallied from two-run deficits - including in its last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh - and forced extra innings, getting a gutsy pitching effort from newcomer Rebecca Polashek (So., Raeford, N.C.).
A questionable call in the eighth inning allowed the game to go in favor of Davis and Elkins, providing yet another dose of adversity to a Lady Broncos club that has found itself fighting for everything it can get in the early going.
But it's a fight Fayetteville State is willing to take on. And because of it, brighter - and much warmer - days are ahead.
