With 16 games remaining in the regular season, Western Washington University softball has already matched its win total from last year. The Vikings, currently 26-4, have won nine straight games and continue to ascend the national rankings, most recently moving up to No. 12.
But they are more focused on games yet to be played.
“This group is just really hungry,” sixth-year Western head coach Sheryl Gilmore said. “They’re not distracted by the outside stuff, who they should or shouldn’t beat, or rankings or anything like that.”
Western is approaching an eight-game road trip April 5–13 against Simon Fraser (6-24, 1-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) and then MSU Billings (8-23-1, 1-7 GNAC) — the bottom two teams in the league.
If they win all eight, the Vikings will be two games short of tying the program record for wins in a season (36) well before the regular season is over. The team already earned the best start in program history in February when it began the 2023–24 season with a 13-0 record.
“I don’t think any of us really look at our national ranking very much or just overall standings,” junior BYU transfer catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez said. “I think we go into every week with the same mindset that [it’s] a new week against a different team, and it could be anyone’s game any given day.”
Andrewjeski-Ramirez has led an elite group of Vikings power hitters that have piled up 25 home runs in 30 games. Last season, now-sophomore infielder Hailey Rath was essentially alone in that category, and Western launched just 10 homers in 49 games.
Gilmore said finding players with an ability to hit for power was her main focus in offseason recruiting. She brought in senior Ashley Jacobson, junior Riley Anderson and Andrewjeski-Ramirez — all as transfers.
Since Rath was the team’s main home run threat in 2023, she would often be intentionally walked, piling up 22 bases on balls. This season, she has five homers and has only walked four times.
“[Rath] would get intentionally walked four times in a game last year,” Gilmore said. “For her to be able to be herself and be successful, I knew I had to put some people around her in the lineup that could protect her.”
Andrewjeski-Ramirez alone has 11 home runs on the season, more than the entire Western team last year and just four away from the single-season program record (14 by Emily Benson in 2019).
“I’m going to just kind of try to not think about it, I guess,” Andrewjeski-Ramirez said, unaware of how close she is to history. “It gives me another goal to look forward to.”
But hitting still can improve, Gilmore said. As good as they have been, there’s more untapped potential within the Vikings’ bats.
The numbers support that, to an extent. Western batted .306 as a team last season, dropping to .275 this year. However, the Vikings’ slugging percentage (total bases per at-bat) has increased from .382 in 2023 to .418 this season.
“As coaches, we know what they’re capable of, and we haven’t even really scratched the surface with what this team can do offensively, yet,” Gilmore said.
Western’s pitching staff has also seen a complete overhaul. Of the five pitchers present in the circle last season for the Vikings, junior Joie Baker is the only one who has seen the field this year.
In 2023, now-graduated standout Mareena Ramirez dominated with 180.2 innings pitched while no other player threw more than 57 innings. Now, Baker and freshmen Kaiana Kong and Alli Kimball have shared the circle, each pitching at least 56 innings and posting a stellar combined ERA of 1.57.
Western is also giving away far fewer bases. Baker, Kong and Kimball are on pace for a combined 74 walks after the Vikings allowed 188 last season.
“They each bring a different element and a different look to the opposing hitters, and so they balance each other and complement each other really well,” Gilmore said. “I think a lot of the confidence from the team comes from knowing that our pitchers are always going to give us a chance to win — they’re always going to keep us in games.”
The Vikings are cementing a historic season at just the right time. The GNAC Championships will be at Viking Field in Bellingham May 2–4, which should give the team an extra boost of confidence in the first stage of the postseason.
Gilmore said she is excited to see how the rest of the season unfolds, stating the current group is “definitely up there” with the most talented teams she has had in her six seasons with Western.
“The unique thing is that there’s not one or two superstars,” she added. “Everyone’s kind of stepping up in different roles and it’s not up to just one person to kind of carry the team.”
Connor J. Benintendi is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at connorbenintendi@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
