The off-season is a time of strengthening your weaknesses for many athletes. For sophomore pitcher Michelle Rogers it is also a time of retribution.

‘’Some games last spring I did worse than others so I just want to redeem myself,’’ Rogers said, ‘’’I would like to work on bettering my pitching. I learned a lot from last year. It was a different experience coming in as a freshman and being thrown out there. Knowing that the batters and who you are facing are a lot better and more experienced than they were in high school makes it challenging.’’

The transition from high school was an eye-opener, Rogers said. ‘’It was hard at first. The girls are just a lot better and they hit a lot more. Things that worked in high school may not work in college. You just have to figure out different things to beat your opponent.’’

Rogers had an earned run average of 4.09 last spring and pitched 135.1 innings.

In the offseason, Rogers and the rest of the Panthers are at practice every day to better themselves for the spring season.

‘’We do a lot of workouts and drills in the offseason. Eventually this fall there will be a lot more conditioning, weights, and strengthening.’’ Rogers said. ‘’We would like to work on coming together and playing together as a team better this off-season.’’

The Panthers had a record of 21-27 last season. They graduated Hannah Cole who had the team-best batting average in .361. Senior April Markowski was a close second with a batting average of .349.

Rogers’s strengths to the team are vital.

‘’I bring some strength to the team, definitely defensively.’’ Rogers said. ‘’Keeping the ball off the plate as much as possible, I would rather walk someone than give up a homerun.’’

Pitching is not the only part of her game Rogers will improve on this off-season.

‘’I would like to improve on my mental game, and be more mentally stable. I would like to play with more confidence, and I want to be able to last longer in a game and have more stamina and endurance.’’ Rogers said.

Rogers and the rest of the Panthers are out to make a name for themselves this season.

‘’My work ethic, trying to work hard every day, and improving, not just for me, but also my teammates, betters the team, we’re definitely looking forward to playing against SIUE,” Rogers said.

Eastern Illinois softball plays Olney Central Community College this Friday and Saturday at Williams Field.

Maria Baldwin can be reached at 581-2812 or mjbaldwin@eiu.edu