Sports

Garcia returns to UW lineup in style

For Alexis Garcia, rounding the bases had never been more rewarding. After a couple of disappointments in her budding collegiate career, everything finally felt right for the redshirt freshman this past weekend, culminating with a home run against Illinois.

Admittedly "a little disappointed" over having to sit out as a redshirt last year, Garcia was dealt another disappointing blow when she was removed from the starting lineup March 15, after hitting only .119 up to that point. Garcia had started every game at first base this season prior to that game.

Instead of complaining about her reduced role, Garcia sought out UW head coach Chandelle Schulte to discuss her offensive problems.

"To her credit, she actually came to me and said, 'I understand I'm not getting it done' and 'What do I need to do to get back out there?'" Schulte explained. "We've worked together to get her back on the right track."

And back on the right track she is. Garcia rejoined the starting lineup for the second game of the doubleheader against Northwestern and broke out of the slump in a big way. She finished the weekend with a .545 BA (6-11) — which raised her batting average nearly 100 points to .212 on the season — to go with two home runs and five RBIs.

Her performance was one of few bright spots during an otherwise-disappointing weekend that saw the Badgers drop three of four games.

So what exactly was keeping the first baseman so quiet in the batters box? The coaching staff and Garcia discovered that her offensive problems did not stem as much from mechanical flaws in her swing, but rather her mental approach at the plate.

"I had so many things going on in my head," Garcia recalled. "I was thinking about everything you could possibly think of. Now, I can't even remember what I was trying to think of in the box this last weekend. It was more of a 'no thoughts, just hit' approach."

Schulte also cited Garcia's redshirt year as a possible cause for her early-season offensive funk. "She was out last year, and now it's just taken a while for her to settle back into a routine. Plus, to go from not playing at all to being called on to contribute everyday is very tough," Schulte said.

Garcia credits her recent improvement not only to her changed mental approach, but also to her time as a redshirt last year. "Just because I wasn't able to be out there didn't mean I couldn't still learn things and have a good attitude, so when I do get an opportunity to play, I can take advantage of that."

That attitude has molded Garcia into someone who UW sophomore Lynn Anderson refers to as an "awesome teammate." Anderson also said Garcia has improved greatly since last year, and her perseverance through her redshirt season really showed the commitment that builds trust between teammates.

Despite her absence from the lineup card for six games, Garcia still managed to get into games, serving as a defensive replacement in each contest.

"Defensively, she is a great first baseman," Schulte said. "She's got a great glove, which is something you either have or you don't. She is a very natural defensive first baseman."

For Garcia, when she was finally able to help the team offensively over the weekend, she realized all her hard work to get back into the lineup had finally paid off.

"Everything with my swing was finally right," Garcia said of finally being able to round the bases.

Before heading off to practice, Schulte added what might be one of the highest compliments a coach can give a player.

"She's very open-minded, and when you talk to her about something, she'll get it done. She is on the same page as [the coaching staff], and I think that has really been reflected in her play the last week or so."