Note: This story was written prior to SUNYAC and the NCAA’s decision to cancel all remaining sporting events.
Ten months ago, the Oswego State softball team was eliminated from the SUNYAC tournament, after giving its season a full makeover. A nine-game winning streak helped propel the Lakers into the tournament, resurrecting their sub-par first half and giving them a shot at their first SUNYAC banner. The Lakers fell short of this feat, losing to SUNY Cortland 7-0 in the final game of the season.
Although the Lakers never raised a banner in 2019, it was not a failed season. The softball team managed to win two games in the SUNYAC tournament, two more than the year before, and displayed improved hitting. Junior Madelana Wrubel was pleased with the work the team put in last year but knows with a new roster, there is still work to be done.
“Our team as a whole did very well,” Wrubel said. “We were such a power team and that came to our advantage in situations where we needed a big hit, and one of our players would step up and give us that. Now it’s just such a complete turnaround. We are starting fresh, so it is going to be interesting to see how it turns out.”
Wrubel began the season very well last year at the plate but hit a slump around the midway mark of last season, which brought her batting average down to .211. Rebecca Vilchez, on the other hand, improved not just in the batter’s box, but also on the mound. The senior ended the season batting .307, driving in 17 runs while hitting two homeruns. She also managed to suppress her inflated ERA from 3.81 to 2.59. Despite the struggles, Vilchez never made any drastic changes to her approach last year.
“That is part of the game of softball,” Vilchez said. “Sometimes you’re high, sometimes you’re low, so you just have to stay confident and make small adjustments.”
One person that views Vilchez as a true leader in every way is Gabrielle Rivers, the new head coach of the Oswego State softball team.
“[She has] the leader mentality,” Rivers said. “She works hard on and off the field. She is willing to take the underclassmen under her wing and tell them how we do things here with the transition from high school to college ball.”
Rivers has prior playing and coaching experience at the Div. II level, suiting up for Merrimack College, which is now Div. I. She also played for The College at Brockport. As for her coaching career, she was an assistant at LeMoyne College. bringing them to four straight Northeast-10 Conference Championship games and two NCAA Championship tournaments as well.
The transition in the head coach position is generally difficult for most. Despite this, a familiar face joins the coaching staff at Oswego State. Angela Frampton, a 2019 graduate and a .346 lifetime hitter for the Lakers in her two years, will be an assistant.
“She has helped with a lot of players and the background information I should know on some of them. It has made it an easier transition,” Rivers said. “[Frampton] helps with hitting and pitching. She brings a pitching background, so that is the main reason why I brought her on.”
The season was supposed to begin on Friday on the team’s spring break trip, however it was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The trip was supposed to help build team chemistry and depth, as the Lakers’ bench was going to be tested with 12 games in just six days. As of publication, the team’s season is expected to continue Wednesday, March 25 against Rochester Institute of Technology.
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
