As the West Virginia State softball team approached the 2017 season, it did so knowing that it had the chance to do a lot of positive things to improve off last year's campaign, when the Yellow Jackets finished a few games under the .500 mark.
With 13 players from last year's squad returning, including several of its best hitters and its full pitching staff, WVSU entered the season with experience but a roster that still included just five juniors and one senior. For that reason, coach Kerri Blackwell thought that the way the Yellow Jackets have opened the season - with several road trips to tournaments in North and South Carolina - was vital for this team as it looks to come together so it can get on a roll and be ready to play its best softball of the season once Mountain East Conference play gets underway.
"Traveling to North and South Carolina to play early in the season is something that is imperative to challenge a team and determine where we need to focus our attention for improvement," Blackwell said. "The bond that happens during extended road trips is essential to the overall success and development of each team from year to year.
"We see many positives to focus on and we will build off those."
After starting a little slow out of the gates, WVSU has gone on a bit of a hot streak in the last week. The Yellow Jackets (8-8) have won six of their last eight games, including a current five-game winning streak.
That run started at the Shaw University Challenge in Apex, North Carolina, where West Virginia State opened the tournament with a 27-0 win over Lincoln University and outscored its opponents by an average of 13 runs per game.
Between a stellar defense and an offense that appears to be starting to click after a slow start, Blackwell likes what she has started to see from her team.
"I have been impressed with our defense. We have seen sporadic good things from everyone on offense," Blackwell said. "I am excited to see them put everything together and work well together in all areas of the game.
"Moving forward, we will continue to work on the small things that eventually make big things happen."
In the eight games West Virginia State has won this season, the defense has committed just two errors - with no errors coming in this recent string of five consecutive victories.
As it stands now, the Yellow Jackets are the No. 1 hitting team in the MEC with a team batting average of .312. Brooklyn Hale leads that attack, hitting .463 with a pair of doubles and triples, one home run and 12 RBIs.
Freshman Shian Meeks is also in the top 15 in the league in batting with a .382 average. Five WVSU players are hitting .350 or better.
The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.88, which is good for third in the league. The Yellow Jackets already have four shutouts this season after recording just six a year ago.
West Virginia State is currently in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Fastpitch Dreams Tournament, its last tournament of the season before beginning MEC play on the road against Concord on March 18.
As they prepare to head into conference play, the Yellow Jackets are feeling good about where they are - knowing they have a number of players throughout the roster they can rely on to take on different leadership roles and to step up when they're asked.
"Everyone on this team is a leader in their own specific way," Blackwell said. "We have those that lead by example, those that lead vocally and those that lead by stepping in and just being game-changers."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.