Listen closely and you can hear the bats cracking and the balls whizzing.

Yes, it is spring time and with spring comes softball season. While the temperature outside has not yet reached spectacular heights, the 1988 NIU softball team is beginning to heat up.

The Huskies recently returned from a week in Florida where their play was hotter than the weather. NIU finished their seven-day stint with a 10-2 record, including a second-place finish in the Florida State University Invitational, which was held Friday through Sunday.

The Huskies began their 1988 campaign on Monday, March 14, but it was supposed to start sooner. Rain in Orlando forced NIU to wait an extra day to play in its season opener. After practicing in a gym during training season, the Huskies were ready to hit the field. And that they did.

On opening day, the Huskies downed Maine 3-0 in the morning and they defeated Vermont 4-2 in the afternoon. The team used its bats from the very beginning of both games to put NIU on the boards. During the second inning against Maine, NIU’s Kathy Bulow picked up two RBIs. Catcher Pat Faletti recorded the third RBI to score Lynn Lacy in the fifth inning. Senior Beth Schrader was the winning pitcher.

Faletti paced the way for the Huskies against Vermont. She made it home in the opening inning to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Lacy was brought home in the second inning to make the score 2-0. NIU scored two more runs in the fourth as Lacy took a lead-off walk and scored on Laura Peterson’s single to left field. Faletti came to bat and reached first on a fielder’s choice. The senior stole second and then scored on an Amy Veld double.

On Tuesday, March 15, the Huskies faced Stephen F. Austin University and won by a 1-0 margin. The win was followed by 7-3 win against Connecticut. NIU’s only run against in the game came in the first inning. With a one-out single by Veld, freshman Lisa Gilfoy doubled to bring home the senior shortstop. Gilfoy and Veld were active in the Connecticut game as well. In the first inning, the Huskies grabbed a 1-0 lead when Gilfoy scored Veld on a sacrifice. Connecticut came back in the third to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead. After five innings with no scoring action from the Huskies, Gilfoy charged NIU up in the sixth by hitting a single. Faletti, Veld and outfielder Jill Justin each picked up RBIs in helping NIU score six runs.

At the Invitational, NIU kept its wheels turning. Not only did the squad take second, but it was prosperous for certain individuals as well. Faletti, Veld, Justin, Lacy and third baseman Heidi Hutchison were named to the All-Tournament Team. Justin had a big weekend with the bat, hitting three home runs.

One of Justin’s home runs came in the game against Maine. The Huskies won that game 5-3. NIU lost the next one to Miami-Ohio by a 1-0 decision. The Huskies came up with two more wins against Florida A & M, 7-1, and Northeast Louisiana, 3-0.

NIU’s 4-3 victory over Florida State was an important win. Flordia State had a 22-4 record and is ranked 13th in the nation. The win carried NIU into the championship bracket.

“Our biggest win came when we played Florida State,” coach Dee Abrahamson said. “Partly because they were ranked seventh in preseason and partly because we came back from a 3-0 deficit.”

After winning decisions over Georgia State, 3-2, and Southern Illinois, 4-3, NIU lost a 2-1 rematch to Florida State for the title. The Lady Seminoles scored first in the bottom of the second and held a 1-0 lead through the first five innings. NIU came back in the top of the sixth to tie at 1-1, but Florida answered with a run to win the game.

“We’re really excited for the good start,” Abrahamson said. “Getting hits when we needed them was the highlight of the trip.”