Watching a Gophers softball game is sometimes more like observing a 10-year high school reunion than a competitive college sporting event.
Strange barnyard imitations flow freely in the dugout. Infield chatter consists of inside jokes that only the players would understand. And there are, of course, the superstitions.
However, there are also a lot of wins. After going 44-18 last season, Minnesota is off to a 27-9 start this year. For the past year and a half, wackiness and winning have been inseparable.
Right in the middle of that is second baseman Laura Peters. With a batting average around .400, a sparkling glove, and a more than a handful of inside jokes “not fit for the newspaper,” the junior from Cottage Grove is a key member of the close-knit Gophers squad.
“We’re loose, but we’re serious,” Peters said. “We’re at our best when we’re at ease.”
That’s a message Peters can live by both in terms of herself and the team. As a freshman, Peters batted just .157 (13-for-83). She said she had trouble making the adjustment from high school softball — where she hit .530 in a four-year career — to the college game.
“I came in here, and I was blind to everything. I was really nervous,” Peters said. “When I look back to my freshman year, I say, ‘That wasn’t me.'”
The real Peters started emerging during her sophomore season. She batted a far more respectable .287, with 39 runs scored. Those statistics accompanied a renewed confidence in herself and corresponded with the resurgence of the Gophers softball program.
The idiosyncrasies that have become a trademark of the team also started at that time. Now Peters has roughly as many superstitions as she had hits during her freshman year.
“Rachel (Nelson) and I are very superstitious,” she said. “Before every batter, we yell out how many outs there are in the inning and slap the number down on our legs.”
That goes for the first batter of the inning as well. Even though it’s obvious that there are no outs, both players complete the ritual.
Before Peters can even get on the field, however, there are a couple of things she needs to do.
First, she engages associate coach Julie Standering in a complicated three-part handshake. Peters attempted a demonstration, but it’s one of those “have to be there” things.
Second, she shakes head coach Lisa Bernstein-O’Brien’s hand. Sometimes — if she got a hit or made a good play in the field recently — she’ll spin out of the handshake before she heads to her position.
“(The coaches) are just as superstitious as we are. They bring joy to the game,” Peters said. “I want to win first, but if you win, you have to have fun at the same time.”
Peters strives to combine both of those when she’s in the field. When a pitcher is struggling, she’s often one of the first ones to trot over to the mound.
“Coach always tells me to make sure the pitchers aren’t thinking too much,” she said. “I try to keep their mind off of things.”
And how does she do that?
Humor would be a good guess, and the answer was confirmed by Wendy Logue. The junior hurler started laughing just at the mention of Peters’ name.
“She’s my little buddy,” Logue said. “She keeps the pitchers loose and ready with her inside jokes.” Logue also confirmed that none of the jokes are fit for print.
What are readily printable are Peters’ current batting numbers: A .394 batting average, 17 runs scored and 16 stolen bases without being caught once.
But the numbers that mean the most to Peters are on the left side of the team’s standings. Minnesota’s 44 wins and trip to the NCAA regionals last year were nice, but Peters and her teammates won’t be satisfied simply by a repeat performance.
The Gophers were swept in their first Big Ten series this season at Michigan State, but that could prove to be beneficial in the long run, Peters said.
“You never like to lose, but I’m glad it happened early rather than later on,” she said. “We’re really getting into a groove now.”
And joking all the way.