As well as her players, Catasauqua head softball coach Paige Kogelman has been dealing with fundamentals.

“The biggest thing for us is knowledge of the game,” said Kogelman, a former Roughie standout. “I never had to deal with teaching the game as a player or coach.

“They are now starting to figure it out. We are making more plays and adjusting to situations.”

Kogelman figured it would be a rough ride, and it has been.

Entering this week, the Roughies have an 0-7 record and have been shutout six times. They have scored a total of six runs.

Yet, it isn’t about numbers. It is about experience.

Kogelman saw plenty of positives recently in her team’s 21-0 defeat to Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg.

“I think they finally realized what they could do,” said Kogelman. “We saw a lot of changes in one day and we didn’t make the kind of errors we were making. It was just that East Stroudsburg hit.”

Kogelman cited the recent play of Hailey Deschaine and Marissa Rice, both of whom recently have been hitting on a consistent clip for the Roughies. Deschaine hit a grand slam in the team’s 16-6 loss to Panther Valley in which they had a 6-3 lead, and Rice has been getting on base regularly.

“A lot of our girls have really picked it up,” said Kogelman. “They have been more confidence, and more of them are swinging on the first pitch.”

Confidence will be the key to the second half of the season for the Roughies. If the Roughies can build on it, Kogelman sees promise down the road.

“We’re our own worst enemy,” she said. “If we can remain confident, we can reach another level. It is about being confident and patient. It is a different environment then it was two years ago.

But I am not using it as an excuse.”

Kogelman is optimistic a foundation can be set with the younger players beginning at the middle school level.

“I have a lot of seventh- and eighth-graders who can make a difference,” she said. “We have a number of girls who will be playing this summer, and others who will continue to make a commitment.

“This definitely has been a bigger experience than I thought it would be for me. I have to prove myself to them and to the rest of the league.

“We all have to keep working on the fundamentals and push forward.”