During central New York winters, Syracuse can’t field ground balls off the dirt of the Skytop softball stadium. There’s usually snow on the ground. Syracuse can’t take pop-up drills outside, unlike many of its opponents in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Instead, SU is forced to practice indoors on turf at Manley Field House.

“There’s a big difference between fielding ground balls on turf and fielding ground balls on dirt,” head coach Shannon Doepking said. “Unfortunately, we’re in a place where we don’t get that experience a lot. We get it on the weekends.”

That discrepancy between practicing indoors and outdoors has affected Syracuse’s (5-11) defense so far this season during games. The Orange are No. 181 in fielding percentage through Feb. 28 and have committed 20 errors in 16 games. In a loss to San Diego State on Feb. 8, the Orange committed five errors, including two in the seventh inning that allowed the Aztecs to score six runs and win 9-8.

Doepking admitted that SU won’t be able to practice outside until at least after spring break. Syracuse doesn’t play a home game until Wednesday, March 27 against Niagara. Until then, the Orange will practice at Manley Field House. For most players, it offers a drastically different perspective.

“I think we’re not used to all the hops we get,” senior Hannah Dossett said. “For outfielders, it’s a completely different view.”

When indoors, SU had created high-pressure circumstances to replicate live-game intensity. The coaches load the bases and tell the defense they are ahead by one run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Anytime SU makes an error, they go back to a previous situation and tries to correct it.

“You can get live reads in and play a game out based on the situation,” junior outfielder Toni Martin said. “It’s not the same but it helps a lot even though we’re in here and not outside.”

The team has traveled to away sites earlier so it can have one practice outdoors, Dossett said. Instead of leaving late on Thursday for a Friday matchup, the Orange will leave early in the morning. The strategy has helped SU adjust outdoors and transition to the ever-changing environments.

With only seven errors in its last eight games, the practices have helped, but the Orange still are not great defensively. The added exposure outdoors has allowed Syracuse to run, catch, pitch and slide on dirt, but SU is still committing errors in key moments.

Facing No. 3 Florida on Feb. 24, SU faced a three run deficit in the third inning when Florida senior Alex Voss smacked a pitch toward Syracuse sophomore shortstop Neli Casares-Maher, who misplayed the ball. Gators sophomore Hannah Adams, who started at first base, trotted to third. Adams scored on the next at-bat as the Gators took a four-run lead. The Orange are persisting with the practice game plan because for now, they have to.

“We’ve been having errors, but it’s the beginning of the year,” Casares-Maher said. “We should be able to clean it up. By the end, we’re going to be a phenomenal defensive team.”

Published on March 3, 2019 at 10:56 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman