Leigh Ross expects Alyssa Dewes to finish first.

Ross thinks the sophomore will always be the fastest, whether it’s going first-to-third on a bloop single or conditioning in practice.

Dewes has been starting as a catcher and outfielder this season for Syracuse, but has been struggling at the plate. Earlier this year, Ross noticed Dewes not running as quickly in practice as she usually would, something the head coach said might be related to the pressure she’s putting on herself recently at the plate.

“Obviously, I’ve been in a slump,” Dewes said. “… Softball is a game of failures, so you can only keep working hard and eventually it’ll come back.”

Through 61 at-bats this season, Dewes is hitting .164 at the plate. At this time last year she was hitting .344. Dewes is hoping to use speed as an asset to her hitting approach this weekend as Syracuse (12-18, 0-6 Atlantic Coast) plays North Carolina (24-9, 9-2) in a Saturday doubleheader at SU Softball Stadium, SU’s first home games of the year, starting at 1 p.m.

Assistant coach Matt Nandin said that coming into this year, Dewes put a lot of pressure on herself to replicate her first season for the Orange when she hit .307 and hit as high as two in the order. Now slated in at the nine spot in the lineup, she hasn’t hit as consistently this year. Her 19 strikeouts are one more than she had all of last season.

“They always say hitting is contagious, and hitting is mental. There really is truth to it or they wouldn’t say it,” Ross said. “I don’t think much has changed mechanically at all, but if she can get through it and she can get a few base hits and build some confidence, it’ll change so quickly.”

Nandin agrees that there is a mental aspect of her struggles, but has been working with her to utilize the lower half of her body in her swing.

Upon arriving to practice almost an hour early, the two use a small wedge placed under Dewes’ foot to help her rotate her backside through the zone and drive through the ball. He believes that when the wedge is combined with the soft toss and work off the tee, it helps build muscle memory and translate to games.

The inconsistency in SU’s schedule hasn’t allowed Dewes to build on her extra practice with Nandin. The Orange has experienced breaks as long as 12 days between games due to weather and field conditions, and she hasn’t gotten into a rhythm this season.

In the past, even without great success at the plate, Dewes was able to use her speed — primarily through bunting, or beating out would-be outs — to generate offense for Syracuse.

“When we have the opportunity to get her on first base, we steal her right away,” Ross said. “Her speed and ability to steal bases is invaluable.”

Ross refers to Dewes as “almost a second leadoff hitter” and that she can be the spark Syracuse needs to kick-start an offense that has been outscored 134 to 115.

Since Syracuse has returned from three canceled games against Boston College almost two weeks ago, Ross has seen extra “giddyup” in Dewes’ step. She said that there has been a bit of an attitude change and now Dewes has been changing up her practice habits.

“She’s got a lot of tools to help the team win. It doesn’t mean she’s going to get six or seven hits on a weekend, but there are ways to get hits and drive in runs,” Nandin said. “Now it’s a matter of getting a few hits here and there and I think she’ll be fine.”

Published on April 1, 2015 at 9:30 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu