Prior to the season, first-year Eastern softball coach Angie Nicholson had her team read the book Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence by Gary Mack.

“You fail so often in softball, that it takes time for players to realize how much they actually accomplish, which is what I wanted the players to get out of it,” Nicholson said.

Senior pitcher Stephanie Maday took particular interest in Mind Gym, making it the basis for why she is as confident as she has ever been.

The book talked about the different experiences athletes have had throughout their careers and how to overcome them, such as how to approach weaknesses and use them as an advantage.

“You have to look at every situation in a positive way,” Maday said.

So Maday has done just that this season.

“If somebody gets a hit against me, I don’t stress out about it as much as I used to,” Maday said.

But very few people have managed to get a hit against Maday when she is in the circle as of late.

In her last five games, Maday has pitched a five-inning no-hitter, for the second time in her career.

Also, her last two outings, Maday has pitched two complete games, while giving up one hit and zero walks in each game.

The book also taught Maday to visualize the performance she wants before each game, something she has done more than ever during her current five-game winning streak.

“I just look at the game I pitched before,” Maday said. “I’ve been throwing really well and I have been really confident lately. I go back to those games because I know that I’ve done it before and nothing is stopping me from doing it again.”

Maday has logged 30.1 innings pitched during the last five games, which she has used to record 33 strikeouts, give up just seven hits and lower her season ERA to 2.13.

In the last 30.1 innings pitched, Maday has a miniscule ERA of 0.89.

With just 12 games remaining, Maday said she has used the final stretch of her final season to motivate her.

“I’ve just been thinking that the season is coming to an end,” Maday said. “This is my last opportunity to play softball, really.”

In her last season, Maday was subject to having an entirely new coaching staff entering Williams Field.

That’s where Nicholson comes in — with an entirely new coaching style.

Nicholson’s coaching style has been described as more aggressive as opposed to former coach Kim Schuette, who was at the helm of Panther softball for eight seasons.

Nicholson’s new aggressive style led to more trying workouts and taking more chances whether it is at the plate or running the bases.

“I knew we were in good hands having the pitching that we did,” Nicholson said. “So the goal we had was to improve our offensive power, so we weren’t solely known for pitching.”

Though, the newly revised offensive approach has not directly affected Maday, it has still greatly influenced the starting pitcher in her senior season.

“We’re no longer stressing that, ‘oh, if we give up one run, we’re not going to get it back,’” Maday said. “The offense is there to pick us up now.”

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.