Lapuan Virkiä is considered to be the biggest champion favorite of the women’s Superpesis, which starts in earnest this week, together with Manse PP. Virkia has won bronze in the previous two seasons, but has now been strengthened by, among other things, transfers from Helsinki’s Roihuttar Charlotte and With Camilla Höglund.
A person from Lapland has become the game director Jussi Muilu, who was the game director of the Jyväskylä Lohe men’s first team for a long time. Muilu’s first winter with Virkiä was successful, as the team won the Talvisuper, an indoor series played for the first time with the new concept.
– Quite a lot of us have been ranked first and second. I think we have a really big chance to win gold, even bigger than last year, bro Anni Heikkilä said.
– Really nice and good players have joined this and Jussi (Muilu) has a good grip on us.
Virkia is an eleven-time SM gold medal team, and in the early 2010s the club dominated the women’s Super by winning five consecutive championships. In autumn 2016, Lapua still reached the finals, but Kirittäret took the trophy to Jyväskylä.
Although there have already been eight dry years, according to Heikkilä, it does not bring additional pressure.
– We are hungry, of course, but this team may not have that many players who have been here for years waiting for Tulisipa to strike gold again.
Last season, Pori’s Pesäkarhut celebrated the championship at the end of a memorable five-match final series, and Manse, who entered the series as the preliminaries, had to settle for silver. Mansen’s team has remained almost unchanged, and Heikkilä likes it Manu Vartian the team from Tampere, who took command, is still a very tough team.
Reigning champion Pori also has a new manager Jussi Haapakoskiand the team lost their number one pick who ended his career Emilia Itävalon and the one who returned to Seinäjoki Silja Syrjälän. Even though in the semi-final of Talvisuper in Seinäjoki, Virkä punished the Pesäkarhuja ugly with a combined score of 16–1, Heikkilä likes Pori and his key players Eeva Mäki-Maukolan (stopped) as well The story of Myllyniemi (Joensuu Maila) lost Kirittäri as good teams.
Heikkilä, 24, who is starting his third season in Lapua, has been named the best striker in the series in the game managers’ preliminary assessments. Cunning and witty at the plate, Heikkilä doesn’t mind expectations.
– At least that’s the goal, Heikkilä smiled.
Long experience at Lepisto
The batting joker Janette Lepistö was already part of the previous Lapua championship teams in 2014 and 2015. He knows what makes Virkiä the champion favorite this season.
– We have a really wide range of material and we are able to play especially the inside game from many different positions. It enables a lot of things. It doesn’t matter if it gets a bit tight sometimes, we’ll still be able to push situations and runs. The outdoor game has also been in good shape in the winter season. I would think that versatility is our strength, Lepistö stated.
Lepistö, the all-time hitter statistician and five-time hitter queen Lepistö, suffered from injuries last season, but now his situation seems good. The 28-year-old slugger won the Talvisuper batting stat, but he usually hasn’t played his best game until later in the season.
– I’ve had the best training season in probably five years. I have been able to train really well and the records have been broken in the tests. It’s a good feeling for the physical qualities to go into the summer.
Muilu moved to the top team
Jussi Muilu, the men’s number one player, became the game manager. Many game directors have found coaching in the women’s and men’s Super to be a little different, but at least for Muilu, the beginning has gone excellently both in everyday life and in terms of results.
– There is a lot to learn when working with top athletes. The level of demand is also quite high for coaching. However, the basics are the same and there will be the same hitting solutions.
In Muilu’s opinion, the top teams are equal.
– Everyone has more or less the same number of key players. Small things matter, and then, of course, autumn fitness. Coaching and game management also play a big role. Tampere and Pori both also have a new game manager, which is definitely a sign of that.
The women’s Superpesis season started with one match in Fuengirola, when Seinäjoki Maila-Jussit, who broke into the medal games last fall, beat Rauman Fera. As for domestic games, the season starts on Wednesday. Virkiä’s first match is on Friday as a guest of Fera.
‘s first TV match will be on Friday, May 10 on TV2 at 6 p.m., when KPL hosts JoMa in the men’s Super Pes. The first women’s TV game is scheduled for Sunday, May 12. From Jyväskylä, when JoMa challenges Kirittäret at Hippos starting at 4:45 p.m.