Apr. 2—MITCHELL — When Tommy Downs took over as the Dakota Wesleyan University softball coach three years ago, the players experienced what he called a "culture shock."
Instituting changes into the program based on nearly three decades of previous coaching experience, the message to the players is simple.
"It's about being accountable," Downs said, " And coming out here and competing in everything we do, whether it's in the classroom, on the field or in the workout room. These players have bought in and that's why we're seeing success today."
On the field, the Tigers are currently ranked 16th in the country in hitting with a .361 batting average. They're also ninth in the NAIA in runs scored (250) and fifth in home runs (34). All those marks top the Great Plains Athletic Conference leaderboard as DWU has jumped out to a 28-7 record, including an 8-2 mark in conference play.
There's also several school records within reach entering the final month of the season, as DWU needs six more wins to break the single-season mark for victories as a program, previously set in 2016 when the Tigers finished at 33-22. Four home runs will give the team the single-season home run record, when DWU hit 37 home runs, also in 2016.
While Downs and the other coaches look at the statistics available to see where the Tigers currently stand and where they can go, the main goal for the players is to get them focused on what's directly ahead, given the significance of each individual game.
"We're just trying to focus on one game at a time and continuing to be the best that we can be," Downs said. "There's going to be good days and bad days for sure. ... There's been a lot of good achievements for individuals and our program this year."
Leading the charge offensively, senior McKinnely Mull leads the Tigers batting .463 with 45 runs batted in. Freshman Ashlen Johnson has a team-high 10 home runs to go with a .427 batting average and 33 RBIs. Senior Peyton Bagley is batting .426 and junior Jordyn Blogg has a .345 batting average.
Overall, the Tigers are an aggressive team swinging the bat with a low strikeout rate, having only struck out 134 times in over 1,000 at-bats. Encouraging putting the ball in play, each of the players are confident to chase pitches, knowing their teammates can accomplish the same goal at the plate.
"That confidence in not only what we're able to do individually at the plate but in what our peers can do has really motivated us to take those risks," Mull said. "It's pushed us to find where our weak spots are ... We're facing failure as an opportunity."
Freshman Alison Ernsberger leads the Tigers pitching staff with a 2.52 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 133 1/3 innings, sporting a 14-4 win-loss record. Mitchell product Keirstyn Krcil is 11-4 in 18 games this season with 88 1/3 innings in the circle in her junior year.
With games against top conference teams Northwestern (Iowa) and Midland still to come in April, DWU's focusing on refining the little details of the game, including baserunning and throwing work, in addition to batting practice. However, it's clear everything the Tigers' lofty goals are still in front of them, even with plenty of success already this season.
"We can still get better within the field and we can be more aggressive on the base paths," Johnson said. "Everyone has their certain thing to work on and if we keep on working on those, we'll be just fine."
