The opportunity to play fall ball is a welcomed necessity for the UTSA softball team. Over the span of two weeks, the team has played in eight scrimmages, seven of which have been played at Roadrunner field against other Texas universities and community colleges such as the University of Texas, Texas State and Temple College.
Fall scrimmages can be an opportunity for coaches to get better acquainted with incoming freshmen and transfers. With 15 returning players on the team, veterans make up most of the 26 person roster, but that still leaves 11 additional women that are new to UTSA.
“Since we did not recruit these players we’re really just trying to figure out who works well together, what’s our winning combination, who’s the most competitive, and who’s going to fight for something when they hit a brick wall,” new head coach Vann Stuedeman said.
Over the summer, previous head coach Michelle Cheatham unexpectedly resigned. With that resignation came an all new coaching staff. This fall the role has been reversed as the team has had a chance to get acquainted with an all new staff consisting of a new head coach and two new assistant coaches. So far the experience has been “Vanntastic” as Stuedeman says.
“You know most of it is a get-to-know-you kind of experience, especially for this one because we’re brand new,” Stuedeman said. “So, I think it’s more of an evaluation period, especially for the three of us getting to know this team because we are new.”
Come this spring the Roadrunners are set to start their official season with a staff that is very determined to turn around the previous 2023 losing season. The goal is bigger than winning, it is conference notoriety.
“They really struggled last year,” Stuedeman said. “For postseason, you have to win your way to the conference tournament, you don’t all get to go. So we definitely want to be in that conversation, we want to be there.”
“We have a failure recovery system that we’re trying so hard to get in,” Stuedeman said. “It’s hard for them to do it because as soon as we make a mistake we want to internalize [it], so we’ve got a system that we’re working towards implementing. Just a lot of little ways to work on empowering each other but at the same time while competing with each other. Iron sharpens iron, and that’s why we’re trying to get as sharp as we can get.”
From throwing up a “Birds’ Up” signal, to personally inviting other coaches to plans of giving students golf cart rides to class, Stuedeman is determined to bring in a larger crowd come spring with interactive marketing tactics. No matter what happens in the spring, the new coach is embracing UTSA traditions alongside the softball team.
“I’ve been hearing about the rivalry and I’m excited to embark on it. The coaches at Texas State, I’ve known them for a long, long time,” Stuedeman said. “The two [coaches] that I know really well, they’re actually brother and sister.”
Ricci and Scott Woodard are a brother-sister coaching duo at Texas State that Stuedeman has faced before.
“[Scott] was in the SEC when I was in the SEC and I played some really tough matches against him,” Stuedeman said. “The best sign of respect is getting out there on the field and bringing your A-game, so we’ll be out there trying to respect that rivalry.”
UTSA softball will continue the I-35 rivalry as they take on Texas State for their first away game in February.
