Voters in the Missouri Valley Conference softball preseason poll didn’t share the same enthusiasm about the Wichita State Shockers as the team’s players.

The combination of a young and unproven ball club one year removed from a 33-loss season didn’t impress the coaches.

The voters predicted the Shockers to finish in eighth place in The Valley.

But that’s fine for these Shockers.

“In a lot of our games I feel like we’ve been considered the underdog, so we just give it everything we have,” said freshman infielder Kelli Spring.

Now all the team has to worry about is taking the field. Softball coach Kristi Bredbenner has to be concerned with getting her 10 newcomers more acclimated with her style.

It appears to have worked so far, though conference play has yet to begin — WSU sits in fifth place in The Valley at 10-7.

And the players who have had their fingerprints on the team’s success thus far are two freshmen that happen to be roommates — Paige Luellen and Kelli Spring.

“Being so young we’re not expected to win so we just go out there and play hard and just give it our all,” Spring said.

Both players have started in all 17 of WSU’s games. Spring leads the Shockers in hits and stolen bases. Luellen is the team leader in runs batted in and extra base hits.

“I think they were the type of freshmen that were going to be ready to go as soon as they got here,” Bredbenner said. “They were good players in their high school and their travel ball teams, and they were prepared for college ball as soon as they walked on that field.”

Time spent working out individually in the offseason wasn’t always fun for the girls, but they both have noticed the impact on their team.

“It’s a big thing for me, especially being a freshman,” Luellen said. “We worked really hard in the fall and it’s nice to know that it all pays off. When it happens in the game it makes me want to continue to work hard so I can continue to contribute.”