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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 81 place instead of pitches just zipped from a machine or hit- ting off a tee. But it's not only physical reps that matter. Hitting coach Jason Dorey has talked to his players a lot about staying confident, having a plan heading to the plate and being disciplined. "You could be 0-for-27, but if you keep going up there and having good at-bats and having good pitch selection and you stay confident in yourself, you're going to get that hit eventually," sophomore catcher Kaylah Hampton said. "That's where we're sitting as a team, just plucking away. The big part of the mental game is keeping that confidence up there and saying, 'I'm going to win. I'm going to win this pitch.'" Perhaps the newcomers could help lead a surge. Freshman first baseman Lexi Huffman, whom Schuette says is "built strong as an ox," should add power to the line- up. As could classmate Mallory Baker, a left-handed hitter. Hampton is the team's leading returning home run hit- ter — she had eight last season — but she likely will split catching duties with freshman Heather Knight. Andrew, who hit .301 last season and is the leading re- turning hitter, says Purdue may need to take advantage of its team speed to generate runs, too. The Boilermakers were third in the league in stolen bases last season, though it graduated two of its top three basestealers. "We have some young kids who can run the bases. I think it's more spread across the board instead of just two main bas- estealers," Schuette said. "And we're trying to let the kids play. Get out there and compete. … Really pushing the envelope a little bit in practice. "We're in a good place and now we're starting to get a little bit more prepared. I feel like they're in a better place mentally and not afraid men- tally, like sometimes they have been." That probably isn't a coinci- dence. It's Year 3 of Schuette's tenure, and she says it's time to turn the page to being a high-level Division I program. She's not defining that in rank- ings or victories. It's much deeper than that, and it's been an emphasis all offseason. For one, she's implemented more competitive drills during practice, wanting players to feel the heartache of losing and the joy of success even on the smallest levels, hoping it'll drive them on game days. She also handed out notebooks to all the players in the offseason and encouraged them to scribble in them fre- quently — if something worked in practice, go write it down — and has had what she's called "classroom talks" to break the game down to situations and small-details lev- el. It's gone over well, she said, especially because she has what she jokingly referred to as "little nerdies" on the team. "You think differently," she said of high-level programs. "You expect more of yourself. You can handle information. Information is power. (It's) not information that clouds the mind. Information for a Division I player might cloud their mind and they might say, 'You're making me think too much.' Information for a high-level player enhances their game, enhances their mind, takes them to a new level. So we've been trying to talk about the distinction between that and how you practice differently. We've been trying to teach our girls that it's a mindset. It's not just about field- ing ground balls or swinging at bat. High-level teams do high-level things. "The first year, we had to figure out where we were. The second year, we had to build some foundation on this is how we're going to be defined as a program. The third year, now that stuff is done, let's start going to a high level. So I think it's the right time." j 1241 Cumberland Ave, Suite B West Lafayette, IN 47906 Phone: 765-497-0197 www.bankerinvestmentgroup.com A Fee-Based Investment Advisor located in the Purdue Research Park 25+ Years of Investment Management Experience Bill Banker, President Purdue University Alumnus '85 Purdue Baseball Alumnus '81-'85