This coming weekend, the Waynesburg University softball team will compete in four of its final six nonconference games before beginning Presidents’ Athletic Conference action March 30.

Starting at 3:30 p.m. this Friday, the Yellow Jackets (4-8 as of March 19) will play host to Mount Aloysius College in a doubleheader, before traveling to Pitt Greensburg Saturday afternoon for another doubleheader that is set for 1 p.m.

Prior to these two doubleheaders and the two games against Franciscan yesterday, which was past publication, Waynesburg rebounded from a 2-8 start to sweep Penn State Fayette in a doubleheader, 11-0 in five innings and 13-6 in game two.

Senior first baseman and captain Alex Lawrence was happy to see the team respond after losing three one-run games in the opening 10 games.

“Those two wins were big confidence builders for us to roll into this coming weekend,” said Lawrence. “Having these two wins under our belts changed our whole team’s momentum and we feel prepared to take on the next games.”

Mount Aloysius, as of March 19, boasts an 8-3 record on the year while averaging 7.7 runs per game and a .343 team batting average and allowing opponents to hit just .246 thus far. Waynesburg, to this point, has averaged about 4.6 runs per game and maintained a .272 team batting average while allowing opponents to hit .325 to this point in the season.

Lawrence thinks that the key to upsetting Mount Aloysius lies in continuing to string hits together and focusing on basic fundamentals in the field.

“If we continue hitting as a team and fielding stays solid, winning the Mount Aloysius games will definitely get us ready for PAC play,” Lawrence said.

Pitt Greensburg, on the other hand, has had a slower start to the season with a 3-9 record as of March 19. The Bobcats are averaging 4.16 runs per game to go along with a .251 team batting average and .361 batting average against.

Despite the numbers on paper, Lawrence is adamant that the team needs to not take any opponent lightly as it prepares for the PAC season.

“We go into every game playing our hardest and trying our best regardless of the team’s record,” said Lawrence. “Having this attitude helps us to ignore the outside information and just play the game.”

To this point in the season, the Jacket offense has been a balanced attack, with contributions coming from nearly everyone in the starting nine. Six different women have four or more RBIs so far, junior Ashley Dubovich leads the team in average at .462, senior Cat Allstatt leads the team in RBIs with seven, junior Rachel Skon leads the team in doubles with six and Lawrence is pacing the team in home runs with two.

In addition to the two long balls, Lawrence has yet to strike out in 28 at-bats so far. In her fourth year as a member of the Yellow Jackets, she feels as if she is on the cusp of perfecting her craft at the plate.

“Being a senior and having the experience at the plate has definitely helped me to adjust my swing in the batter’s box,” Lawrence said. “I am now more confident in myself and my swing and am seeing the ball better than ever.”

Lawrence also emphasized that as a team, they are rallying around first-year head coach Brett Shimek, whose father recently passed away after a battle with cancer. Many of the players and the team’s softball Twitter account use the “#shimekstrong” when tweeting, as a reminder that softball is more than just a game.

Overall, Lawrence has enjoyed her experience thus far with Shimek and said that he has really helped the team become a tight-knit family in his first season.

“The transition has been a smooth one to say the least,” she said. “Our team has never been so close, and we really are a family. He’s a great coach and believes in us to the fullest, as well as having the highest of expectations. One thing that is important to him is hustle at all times and that shows on and off the field.”

The Jackets will be in action tomorrow and Saturday before starting conference play next week.