Kansas Wesleyan interim softball coach Daryl Hoelting and his team are ready and eager to compete in this week's Kansas Conference Championship.
The sixth seeded Coyotes play third seeded Ottawa on Wednesday at Salina South High School's north field. The game will begin 30 minutes after the completion of the 11 a.m. contest between No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan and No. 7 Tabor. Win or lose, KWU will play again later in the day in the winners or consolation bracket of the double-elimination event.
Wesleyan (22-19) and Ottawa (37-11) split their regular-season doubleheader earlier this month in Ottawa, the Coyotes winning 6-0 and the Braves 5-4 in the nightcap.
Alli Mickelsen, a junior, allowed two hits in the first game, and KWU took a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning of the second game before OU rallied. Mickelsen (9-9, 3.05 earned run average) had seven strikeouts and no walks and will start in the circle Wednesday.
"I am glad to see them because we were disappointed that we let the second game get away," Hoelting said. "We had chances to win it and didn't do it but we're not afraid to play them; we're looking forward to playing them, actually."
Hoelting has two other pitchers he will depend on - freshman standout Addie Herrera (8-3, 3.24) and sophomore Bella Allen (4-7, 4.51).
Hoelting took over after the season began. A longtime and highly decorated high school coach who won six state championships, he previously coached KWU's program for six years before stepping down in 2016. A year ago, Hoelting guided McPherson High School to the Class 4A state championship and an undefeated season.
Wesleyan enters the KCAC tournament on a roll, having won four in a row and six of seven.
"I think the biggest thing was that I didn't get to practice at all with them in the fall, where every other school played all fall, played competition practice and then started in January and February," Hoelting said. "We missed that opportunity with the way the situation worked out.
"I said 'okay, we're going to be behind, we're going to have to work hard to get back to ground level.' We stubbed our toe a few times, but we continued to improve and get better."
Injuries were a factor.
"We moved (Elli Han) to shortstop," he said. "We had a shortstop and the first week of the season she messed her thumb up and missed the whole year. And in the second tournament of the season our leftfielder (Deja Rubio) got hit in the hand and broke her wrist, and she just came back. So, we've gotten people healthy and I think we kind of got acquainted and are off and running."
Hoelting said his team needs to stay the course this week.
"I think consistency is a key. Our philosophy is 'win this pitch.' Go where we need to go, do what we need to do," he said.
"We have been kind of on a jet rollercoaster thing. We went to Oklahoma and beat Oklahoma Wesleyan in two one-run games where every pitch was on the line, and our kids hung in there and battled. We beat Avila and probably should have swept in Ottawa, so we're right there. I think our kids are excited and ready to go."