For the first time in more than a decade, Western Washington University softball has put itself on the national map. The Vikings, fueled by a blistering 9-0 start to the season, have climbed to a No. 18 national ranking.
This is the first time Western has been ranked top-18 nationally in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll since 2011. The Vikings are one of just five undefeated NCAA Division II programs that have played at least four games this season.
The Vikings began the year ripping off four straight wins at the Concordia University Irvine Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California, from Feb. 2–4, followed by a 5-0 showing at the North Bay Challenge at multiple venues in California Feb. 8–10.
Western’s red-hot start to the season was encapsulated with a walk-off homer against Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 9, when the Vikings engineered a 6-5 comeback victory after being down 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Junior second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy hit a two-run walk-off homer to propel the Vikings to victory.
“The video of the walk-off is pretty funny,” Western head coach Sheryl Gilmore said. “I’ve watched it probably 100 times to see everybody’s reaction. The cool part was we were excited and fired up about it, but going into that inning, it didn’t feel like we were down or out … everyone was excited but not surprised, if that makes sense.”
Home runs are the Viking way this season, as Western has blasted 10 homers in its nine games. For comparison, they hit just 10 home runs all of last season (49 games).
Gilmore has been impressed by the way multiple players have stepped up and taken leadership roles, and with how transfer athletes have been able to make a difference right away.
One of those returning players who has been key so far is junior pitcher Joie Baker, who has returned after an ACL tear midway through last season. Baker has logged a team-high 34.1 innings in six appearances, tossing two complete games with a 2.24 ERA, 22 strikeouts and a 2-0 record.
Baker said Gilmore’s tutelage has had an impact on not only her return from injury but also the Vikings’ perfect start to the year.
“[Gilmore’s] very leveled out in the sense of how she’s able to balance the mental aspect of the game and also the physical aspect of the game,” Baker said. “She kind of teaches us how to get better as a person. I think she really holds to this idea of being a person over a player.”
On the offensive side, senior first baseman Ashley Jacobson leads the team with a .448 batting average to go with two home runs and three triples. Sophomore shortstop Hailey Rath is not far behind with a .438 batting average and six RBIs.
Gilmore said she wants the “train to stay on the tracks” as the season progresses. This means not being concerned with individual statistics, rankings or anything that might derail the team throughout the season.
The team’s continued desire to improve has had a ripple effect. Even on rest days, Gilmore said she has seen her players on the field practicing right after returning from their road trip.
Currently, Gilmore believes the team’s top rivals are Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene (ranked No. 24 nationally), which beat Western in last season’s Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship.
Looking through the stats, Gilmore said there wasn’t one superstar that led to the team’s unblemished record. Gilmore said everyone has been doing their part, which is special because they’re never out of any game, even when down 5-1 at the bottom of the seventh.
“Honestly, one of my favorite parts of this trip was the fact that it wasn’t just one or two people,” Gilmore said. “Through the course of those nine games, every single player on our roster stepped up in different ways.”
Western will next host British Columbia in its home opener at Viking Field during a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17.
