The No. 5 DePauw women's softball team is ready to get their season under way on Mar. 5 at 1 p.m. against LaGrange College at Maryville, Tenn.
"Our goal is definitely to play as a team," said head coach Bonnie Skrenta. "We ended on a really high note in 2010 and want to continue with that. We know we have a target on our back."
This year, DePauw edged out Southwestern University by a single vote as the team favorite to win the 2011 conference title, based on votes by head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
"It's exciting to have the recognition of the peer coaches," Skrenta said.
DePauw was also picked to lead the way in the Eastern Division with four of five first-place votes.
Senior Emma Minx, who plays second base, believes there are a lot of expectations from the other teams in the conference and that the vote is a reflection of the team's hard work.
"We've worked hard to get recognized and build a name for ourselves," Minx said.
The graduation of three-time All-American and SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year Megan Soultz has led the Tigers to have a different dynamic going into the 2011 season.
"We still have a strong class behind us," Minx said. "There's a little more pressure on our offense to produce more runs, but it doesn't really worry me."
Minx is one of three seniors on the team, along with Brianne Weeks and Ashlee Anton. Minx said she can't believe how fast the past three years have gone by.
"Ten years down the road, it's not going to be about the wins or the conference championships, but it's going to be the memories of the people around me," she said.
Freshman Marissa Pinto is excited to get on the field, but already feels the stress of the softball commitment.
"It's so much more fast paced," Pinto said. "In high school, I was the princess. You could get away with a lot more."
Pinto believes the team does a great job of keeping each other on top of their studies and growing as a team.
"We work together more as a team than we did in high school," Pinto said.
The softball team will open their 2011 season next weekend in Maryville, Tenn. with two games against LaGrange College and two games against Maryville College.