The softball season has started, and the team is hoping to win gold this year. 

  “[We are definitely striving for a] winning season and to make it to state, but also to overall have fun and win conference,” senior Kailey Morrell said.

  The team is focused and motivated to succeed this season.

  “This is a hardworking group of individuals who are willing to put in the work in and outside of practice to prepare and improve their skills,” varsity coach, Katelyn Welsh said. 

  This group of girls on the team have developed such a strong bond that they have become family. 

  “We begin to sister the player next to us,” senior Natalie Tatera said.

   The members of the team look out for one another and are always supportive.

  “If someone’s down or if someone makes an error we pick them up. All love on the team,” sophomore, Abby Degrado said. 

  Despite the current state of the world, the team has kept an optimistic attitude. 

  “We maintain a positive outlook by working together as a team and we all know as a team that we have each other’s backs every play,” senior Makena O’Donnell said.

  The girls are always encouraging each other to be and do better.

  “We encourage each other to achieve the most they can,” Tatera said. 

  While they have kept a positive attitude, the team, like anyone else this year, has faced some challenges. 

  “I think the biggest obstacle was making sure the team felt prepared prior to our first game which was just over a week after tryouts ended. The pitchers and catchers needed to get back into their routines, we needed to cover defensive sets, and offensive strategies as well as practice our skills,” Welsh said.

  The players, on the other hand, have a different response than their coach.

  “We have one bad inning where we would struggle and then fall apart and struggle to come back, but if we overcome that then we have a lot of potential,” Morrell said. 

  To be a good player in any sport, the player must love what they’re doing. 

“My favorite part of the game personally is hitting and getting in or starting a rally,” O’Donnell said. 

  While most of the team enjoys rallying, for others, the togetherness and bonding is the most enjoyable aspect of the game.

  “My favorite part of the game is that we can all play with each other and play for our school and at the same time playing the game we love,” Degrado said.