By Alex Valle — Content Editor
All eyes are on San Jose State’s softball team as the 2020 season is upon us.
The Spartans are preseason favorites to win the Mountain West and have high hopes after finishing second for two consecutive seasons.
“We won’t finish anywhere but in the top 64 and go to the NCAA tournament,” head coach Peter Turner told The Spear in an exclusive interview last month.
After claiming that the Spartans were “snubbed” out of the tournament last season, SJSU softball is using this as motivation for the 2020 season.
Freshmen pitchers Ilona Sullivan and Shannon Haddad will be immediately effective for the Spartans as Turner described his rotation as a “quadruple threat.”
“This team believes that with [Shannon] throwing, nobody can beat us,” Turner said.
Instilling confidence into a freshman not only through coach to player, but player to player is important to create a winning culture. That is exactly what Turner has done since taking the helm in 2007.
“She’s doing amazing,” said junior pitcher Caroline Bowman. “As a freshman coming in, it is important that she has the mentality that you have nothing to lose. You can see it on the mound, she has this demeanor of ‘I’m going to get you out.’”
Bowman has the most experience on the Spartan pitching staff and is optimistic of Haddad’s first season for SJSU.
Bowman’s 2.68 ERA ranked eighth in the Mountain West last season, and she can continue to improve with more opportunity.
Last, but certainly not least is sophomore pitcher Jenessa Ullegue, who led the Mountain West last season with a 1.85 ERA and held opponents to a .218 batting average.
Ullegue will be crucial to the Spartans’ success this year as she could repeat as MW Pitcher of the Year.
On offense, she can be just as effective as she is on the mound as she hit .306 for the 2019 season.
Sophomore infielder Alyssa Graham and junior Cassidy Clark crushed the ball last year hitting .319 and .298 respectively.
But what makes this team different from previous Spartan squads?
Any team can have solid pitching and an offense consistent enough to compete with any conference opponent, but the intangibles can make a great team into a championship team.
The organization and chemistry of this team from top to bottom will be the Spartan’s recipe for success in 2020.
“I can run this like a major league ball club,” Turner told The Spear. “This is the best staff that I have ever had.”
High praise from the winningest coach in program history explains why this team can live up to their preseason ranking.
Even with all of this pressure on SJSU softball, Turner makes sure his team lives by the same message he has preached throughout his tenure.
“Family first, school second and softball is a distant third.”
The Spartans will begin their season in Fullerton, Calif. for the two-day Titan Classic starting on Friday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m.
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