Junior outfielder Valyncia Raphael has been a fixture in the outfield this season for the Wisconsin softball team, starting 46 games in left field. But Raphael, who now makes the position look easy with her routine sliding catches, did not step foot outside the infield until just three years ago when she arrived in Madison.
Raphael was team captain and second team all-league in high school as a shortstop, and was recruited as one by Wisconsin. But it did not take long for head coach Chandelle Schulte to change her mind about Raphael's position.
Right off the bat, on the second day of practice, coach is like, 'You're not an infielder.' So I had to learn a new position,"" Raphael said.
Raphael appears to be a natural in the outfield now, but the change was a difficult one in the early going.
""It was hard,"" Raphael said. ""I definitely felt as though I had never played the game before.""
Though Raphael had been around the game of softball for a long time, she was not used to the elements of playing the outfield, and learning them was not easy.
""Simple pop flies would pop out of my mitt, running for balls seemed harder and the field seemed so much bigger; there was so much more ground to cover,"" Raphael said.
Switching from shortstop to the outfield was a major transition for Raphael, but it was not the only one she had to make coming into Wisconsin. Raphael was also asked to make drastic changes in her offensive approach. Similar to the defensive transition, the change was a successful one.
""Coming in, coach had a very different batting style, and when I came in, coach started working with me from the ground up,"" Raphael said.
Just coming to Madison was a major change for Raphael, who played high school softball in La Habra, Calif. ""I've never been so far away from home by myself,"" Raphael said.
Because Raphael was able to make such a shift offensively and defensively, she earned 25 starts in the outfield her freshman year. That season, she hit three home runs and batted .260, including a .333 batting average in Big Ten play, which was second on the team.
Since her first year at Wisconsin, Raphael's batting average has dropped, but she has been able to make significant contributions for the Badgers.
This year, Raphael is batting .198, but has 20 runs batted in, which is best on the team. She has also hit four home runs and five doubles, which are both second on the squad.
Raphael has hit third in the batting order most of the season, a spot in the lineup usually reserved for the team's best hitter.
""The coaches just look for me to be relaxed and to do whatever I can, whether it is to move over the runner or score a run,"" Raphael said.
Even with a large offensive role on the team, Raphael is still constantly looking for tips from her teammates.
""More so than not, people are giving me advice,"" Raphael said. ""If someone asks I'll definitely say something but [it's most likely that] people are giving me advice.""
Raphael's junior season is winding down, but she and the Badgers are still hoping to qualify for the Big Ten tournament. Their season will continue Wednesday with a non-conference in-state clash with UW-Green Bay at home.
The Phoenix have struggled this season with a 6-18 record and are winless on the road in 11 tries.
