TAMPA, Fla. — Ken Eriksen is entering his 27th season as the head softball coach at USF. He's racked up 1,083 wins along the way, but it's not entirely accurate to say he's seen almost everything there is to see along the way.
"No, no, no. I’ve seen everything. I’ve seen everything," Eriksen joked before Thursday's practice. "I think that if you think you’ve got this figured out, you don’t have a chance to be successful. When you realize that you’ll never figure it out, you’ve got a good chance to come every day and have an opportunity to be successful."
A big part of Eriksen's success has been mixing humor and sarcasm with the nuts and bolts of college softball.
"The first day I was here last year, I threw a ball from shortstop literally into the first base dugout. Like, whammed off the wall," Bulls utility player Marissa Trivelpiece remembers. "And I was really nervous that I was going to get yelled at. And he looked at me and was just like, 'Let’s aim lower a little bit next time.' Like, laughing at me. It just makes it very comfortable to play for him. I think that kind of style is what’s made him so successful over the years, of that we’re working in this together."
Another part of the Bulls' philosophy is loading up with a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule. USF's pre-conference slate includes ranked teams like Florida, Washington, and Oklahoma St, in addition to multiple Power Five conference opponents.
"Look, if you're gonna get to the end, you're going to have to see that type of pitching, you're going to have to see that talent, right? So I think it's important to see that as early as possible." Eriksen added. "So you can set your benchmarks and understand what you have to work on early enough in the season give you the three months prior to the postseason."
One of the huge benefits of the Bulls' schedule is the fact that Tampa, compared to many midwestern and northern cities, has ideal weather for playing softball in February and March. USF's first 27 games will be at USF Softball Stadium.
"It’s awesome. The advantage of sleeping in your own bed, I personally love," outfielder Jordyn Kadlub said. "And we get to come out here and do early hitting. We’re in a routine, and it’s honestly not fair. Because the other teams have no idea how lucky we are that we’re here every single day for like 27 games in a row. It’s crazy."
The Bulls open the regular season next Thursday, February 8th, with home games against Illinois St. (4 P.M.) and Bethune-Cookman (6:30 P.M.).
