Hope for the UNM softball team comes in the form of pitchers this season.
The Lobos signed three new pitchers — Kari Gutierrez, Samantha Gatson and Kaela DeBroeck — and DeBroeck took the mound on Wednesday in a doubleheader scrimmage against Luna Community College.
DeBroeck, the only healthy pitcher on the roster, pitched a complete game in one of the Lobos’ two shutout wins over the Rough Riders. UNM improved to 4-0 in fall action.
Head coach Ty Singleton said he hasn’t had a chance to name a starter because of injuries.
“As it stands today, that is hard to say, because two of (our pitchers) are hurt,” he said, adding that he couldn’t comment on the nature of the injuries. “But right now, the pitcher that has been the most steady has been Kayla DeBroeck. And when the other two get healthy it will be a very intense competition.”
Despite pitching a shutout on Wednesday, DeBroeck said she still feels the starting pitching spot is up for grabs.
“In my mind there is no No. 1,” she said. “Even if the other two are hurt, I still have work to be done. I still have goals to be accomplished.”
Each pitcher has a distinct style, Singleton said. Gutierrez can paint the corners of the plate with curve and screw balls, and Gatson’s drop ball is strong, causing a lot of ground outs.
DeBroeck said her strength is ball movement.
“A lot of people argue, ‘Is it speed? Is it movement?’” DeBroeck said. “We are true believers that speed isn’t No. 1. Speed is a nice thing, but if you have movement, you will be more successful.”
Although the three pitchers’ styles differ, there is a common thread that runs among them, Singleton said.
“I think it is mentality,” he said. “It’s having the mentality to get out there and get after it. You have to be tough to be a pitcher at this level. And between our three pitchers, we have variety in the kind of stuff they throw, but all three of them are tough mentally.”
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Singleton said the pitching staff has a full arsenal, which wasn’t true last season.
Last year’s pitching staff all but collapsed after a few players quit. Singleton and his coaching staff scrambled to fill the gaps.
“From this year to last year there is a difference,” Singleton said. “We didn’t have any pitchers last year, so we had to throw in a third-baseman and an outfielder in that hadn’t pitched since they were 12.”
Analis Rubalcava, who moved from third base, and Danielle Castro, who moved to the mound from the outfield, took up the brunt of the pitching work last season, winning only nine of their combined 42 games.
While Wednesday’s wins were nice, Singleton said, the exhibition games were a change up to the typical inter-squad scrimmages.
“It’s nice to face somebody else than facing your teammates every day,” he said. “I think one thing that makes it more fun is that the whole team is trying to beat somebody else as opposed to beating up on each other. It is much more of a united front. We are all working toward the same goal.”
