Jaguars softball coach setting realistic goals for 2020 campaign

Melissa Brocato enters her 22nd season as the winningest coach in Augusta University’s softball program.

While she is humbled by the accomplishment and excited about the new season, she also knows the high expectations that come with it.

“We’ve had years of success and some years with not much success. So obviously we want to get back to where we’ve been before,” she said.

The 2015 season is the last time Brocato has taken her team to the NCAA Tournament. Since then, the Jaguars have finished 11th, 13th, seventh and 11th in Peach Belt Conference play. She is hoping this year’s squad, which includes seven juniors and four seniors, will carry them from the bottom of the conference to at least the middle of the pack.

“The Peach Belt, as well as our entire region, has been a strong softball conference, and I don’t expect it to be any different this year,” she said. “I have a very realistic goal of getting back to the middle of the conference this year.

“Some people might be, wow, that’s not very lofty, but when you were last, last year, that’s a very realistic goal to shoot for and a good starting point moving forward. But the competition is always tough.”

While the competition continues to be tough, Brocato is starting to notice the gap between the top teams in the league and everyone else is starting to close.

“All the teams have always been good, but I think this year, we’ll see less of a gap between where we want to finish and other places,” she said. “Outside of our conference, the Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference, their talent is increasing as well. So, the whole-region games that we play are pretty strong.”

Brocato will not have senior Meredith McLendon and junior Summer Frye, who will both redshirt this season. McLendon played in all 46 games last season, hitting a team-high .317 with 21 runs scored and 21 RBI. Frye is transferring in from Northwest Florida State College.

Brocato jokes with her players about the junior season being the best year and she’s hopeful her junior class will step up on and off the field.

“I hope that this will be the season that they really begin to see all the work that they’ve put in pay off through developing them as players and maturing as individuals,” Brocato said. “All of our seniors are pitchers, so we need our junior class to step up on offense, step up on the field behind them. And I think we have some very capable juniors to do that.

“Although she won’t be on the field, we will still look to Meredith as a leader. It won’t be the same as being out there, but off the field she knows what the program is about and will help keep the other players motivated to be their best.”