SOFTBALL

Two days ago, San Diego State pitcher Maggie Balint was lit up for eight runs in just 1.2 innings by UCLA.

Through 62 innings of action this season, the No. 5 Washington softball team has allowed 30 runs.

Few times in sports does a team present an offense so unrelenting that not even a rule preventing blowouts can curb one from happening.

A day after getting roughed up in her first loss of the season, sophomore pitcher Kelley Lynch bounced back Saturday afternoon, throwing a complete game as the No. 2 Washington softball team run-ruled Utah State, 10-1.

For many games now, the No. 2 Washington softball team had been playing with fire.

A sluggish start on offense wasn’t going to be enough to stop the No. 2 Washington softball Thursday afternoon, as a late-inning onslaught was enough to lift the Huskies to a 4-1 victory against BYU.

In its opening weekend of games, there was something noticeably different about the No. 2 Washington softball team.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now.

Scoring 19 runs in a game is not a common feat. Allowing 13 runs is also not ideal.

Last season, Gabbie Plain admittedly struggled during non conference play, posting a career-worst 2.76 ERA in 10 starts.

This past March, when the Washington softball team stepped off the field in San Jose, California, it marked the end of a dominant 23-2 non-conference slate, and the Huskies set their sights ahead to the Pac-12 schedule.

Nicole Van Dyke hasn’t coached a soccer match in nearly 14 months.

Senior catcher Morganne Flores was named the College Softball Johnny Bench Award winner for 2020 on Thursday, becoming the first catcher in school history to earn the prestigious award.

“We have been advised by some of the top medical experts in the country,” athletic director Jen Cohen said in the press release. “And we will continue to evaluate our process as we work through this first phase. It's critical for us to be able to provide these resources on campus, as COVID-19 is one of many things that impact the health and well-being of our students. We are eager to take this step to begin to welcome our students back to Montlake."

2019-20 was another exciting year for UW Athletics, even if spring sports were cut short due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are the Daily’s sports staff’s picks for best athletes, performances, and moments during the 2019-20 season.  

Whether it be closing out a perfect game, holding a one-run lead, or pitching in the College World Series, Gabbie Plain has experienced it all within her first two-and-a-half years on the Washington softball team.

In a press release sent May 26, the Pac-12 announced it will allow voluntary, in-person athletic workouts to begin June 15 for all sports.

On every road trip, there’s a video camera that documents the Washington softball team. From the time they wake up until the time they go to bed, the camera follows the Huskies’ every move.

While their eligibility was only in doubt for a few weeks, the Washington softball team finally has a sense of how next season’s roster will shake out with the confirmation that all four seniors will continue their education at the UW and return to the team in 2021.

A lot of things have changed for the University of Washington Athletic Department since the UW first took the field in 1889 for its first football game. It took three years for the university to choose purple and gold as its official color scheme. The UW went through multiple mascot ideas in the early 1900s, and even more logos in the decades since.