South Dakota head softball coach Robert Wagner and his Coyotes are wrapping up fall ball and continue preparing for the start of their 2021 season. We have spent time with Coach Wagner to learn more about his position groups before the squad hits winter workouts. We conclude the series by going inside the circle with the pitching staff.
 
Returning Starters
Alexis Devers, Sr., Peoria, Ariz.
Sarah Lisko, Sr., Rochester, Minn.
Holly Fletcher, So., San Mateo, Calif.
 
Returners
Gill Woodward, Sr., Ile-des-Chenes, Manitoba, Canada
Grace Garcia, Jr., Leawood, Kan.
Mia Kraimer, So., Lonsdale, Minn.
Macy Schroedermeier, R-Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
Newcomers
Peyton Maher, R-Fr., Newton, Iowa (Simpson College)
 
All five Coyote pitchers who tossed innings last year are back in 2020 and that includes seniors Alexis Devers and Sarah Lisko who have combined to throw more than 500 innings during the last three seasons.
 
Devers was an all-Summit performer in 2019 and is coming off an even better statistical season in 2020 with career-lows for ERA (3.10) and opponent batting average (.261). Lisko won seven of her first eight decisions a year ago before losing run support and finishing with a 7-4 mark. The seven wins ranked third in the Summit.
 
The newcomer last year was Holly Fletcher, a highly-touted recruit who rebounded from a slow start to post a 2.88 ERA over the second half of her abbreviated first-year debut. Gill Woodward has provided another option in each of her three years. Junior Grace Gracia has rebounded from injuries and is coming off a solid fall campaign.
 
The continuity is certainly an advantage, still Wagner's focus remains on a staff that didn't get an opportunity to face other teams this fall and won't return to campus until after the holiday season.
 
"We have upperclassmen who have been through the wars and are ready to go out and compete," said Wagner. "Our biggest challenge, with our disjointed fall and extended break, is making sure they train over break and come back ready. We are going to do the best we can to get them game reps when they get back so they are ready to go in February."
 
Wagner has made it a point to work more with the pitching staff this fall after the departure of pitching coach Nicole Steinbach, who spent the 2019 and 2020 campaigns with the team. His first point in developing the staff was simply a focus on fundamentals.
 
"Baseball pitchers are always striving to throw 90, and then they want to throw 95, and then triple digits," said Wagner. "It's difficult to make big gains in velocity in our sport. We want to focus on location, changing speeds, getting ahead in the count and then making batters hit pitcher's pitches.
 
"Our staff is strong when we have that type of command. We're striving to be more consistent with that command over the course of seven innings and then throughout the season. Our pitchers have the experience to make that happen."
 
The up-and-comers on staff include Mia Kraimer, who as mentioned in the utility piece, can also get it done in the batter's box, and redshirt freshmen Macy Schroedermeier and Peyton Maher, who weren't able to score reps in the fall due to injury.
 
"In general, it's an older group, and a seasoned group," said Wagner. "You always want to see improvement from year-to-year and the time is now for this group to help get us to where we want to be."