The Sacramento State women’s golf team has high hopes to overcome its second-place streak with the spring 2011 season.

Head coach David Sutherland said he knows the team could go all the way because it won a conference just four years ago. Last year, the team was close to pulling it off, missing first place by only two strokes.

“I believe in three things in our program: We have to be committed, confident and competitive,” David Sutherland said. “It won’t be too difficult to get the kids motivated and fired up because we’ve been so close.”

Having a small team is a challenge this season. There are four returning players: senior Samantha Saffold, junior Julie Shutler, sophomore Kercia Brakel and sophomore Hayley Holloway. This season will see one new player, freshman Ellese Dias.

“We may not be playing with everyone we had hoped this season,” Shutler said. “But I’m confident that we can win.”

Another challenge that they face is an injury within the team:Brakel fractured her wrist over the winter break.

She is not well enough to be put on the lineup so she will be missing the first few tournaments, but Sutherland said she will be healthy by conference.

“I feel that there is that pressure for everyone to step up and play the best they possibly can under any circumstance because there aren’t any extra players to fill in if someone is struggling,” Saffold said.

To overcome having a small team, Sutherland said he keeps the players focused.

“It’s just making sure our kids are mentally confident, focused and expecting to be champions,” Sutherland said. “The difficult part is getting everyone to peak at the right time to be confident in their abilities.”

Having a small team has been beneficial for the team as well, creating camaraderie within the team. Both Saffold and

Shutler are looking to improve this season and use last season as a lesson.

“Golf is all about how you deal with your bad shots,” Saffold said. “Anyone can hit great shot after great shot, but if you can’t bounce back from a bad one, you’re pretty much screwed.”

Shutler said she has been working with a new swinging coach to improve from last season, and feels she is getting back on the right track. The team is focusing on getting injured players healthy and getting its best players to go out and play well at the conference, Sutherland said.

Sutherland said Shutler and Saffold are at the top of the team’s line up and are the best two players, but they are expecting great things out of Dias as well.

Dias struggled in the fall, which is not unusual for a freshman, but she has been playing the best golf she has ever played for Sac State, Sutherland said.

After coming close to winning last year, the team is hungry to win the conference this year, Saffold said.

The women are moving in the right direction in terms of getting ready for the conference, they just have to have the mindset that they are going to win, Sutherland said.

“My biggest hurdle is getting the girls to believe that we’re going to win.” Sutherland said. “We’re not wishing, we’re not hoping. We’re going to achieve that goal.”

You can reach Stacey Adams at [email protected]