The RoundHouse | 9/21/2018 1:26:00 PM

 
It is the easy ones that they remember, the routine groundballs that turn into hits that stand out in a season otherwise full of outs.
 
Wichita State softball coach Kristi Bredbenner is determined to field a better defensive team next spring, one that can support a pitching staff that will often depend on infielders to make plays. The Shockers fielded .956 in 2018, seventh in the eight-team American Athletic Conference, on their way to an NCAA regional. She wants to raise that to around .970 in 2019.
 
"With the arms, the talent, the agility that we have with this group, I feel like it can be a lot better," she said. "You look at our errors . . . they were all balls hit right at us. Sometimes, we made the hard play look easy and we made the easy play look really difficult."
 
The Shockers open their fall scrimmages on Saturday against Avila (1 p.m.) and Crowder College on Sunday (1 p.m.) at Wilkins Stadium. Oklahoma State visits on Thursday (5 p.m.).
 
Bredbenner is evaluating third base, an open spot after the departure of American Player of the Year Mackenzie Wright, a strong defender. As usual, the fall is a time to experiment with a variety of people at positions. The rest of the infield returns with senior shortstop Laurie Derrico, junior first baseman Ryleigh Buck, who is capable of playing other spots, and sophomore second baseman Kaylee Huecker. Coaches will also evaluate freshmen Adeline Reese and Lauren Mills on the infield.
 
No matter the position, the goal this fall is making routine plays.
 
"We're working on watching the ball all the way into our gloves," Huecker said. "Last year, we definitely had a problem with not watching it all the way in, so we were making easy mistakes. We've been doing a lot of small-ball drills, rolling it straight into the glove and making sure you're watching it all the way in, keeping our head down."  
 
The Shockers (32-23) finished in a tie for third in the American and won two NCAA games. Bredbenner estimates sloppy fielding cost them around five games.
 
"We all know we could have done better," Derrico said. "It kind of lost us some games, probably, last year. Hopefully, that will help us this year if we focus more on it."
 
Derrico caught herself dwelling on the errors. The better approach is to evaluate, change and move on with a clear mind – not letting one bad play carry over into the next opportunity.
 
"You definitely remember your errors more than anything," she said. "That's a big thing for me – taking a learning perspective with the errors and thinking how you can do it better next time."
 
The Shockers often wear fielding glasses that force them to look the ball into their glove. It discourages infielders from starting to throw before the ball is secured. Individual workouts feature defensive drills each day.
 
"Without the goggles, we get caught up in assuming it's going to go into your glove," Derrico said. "You really have to follow it."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.