Just like that, the softball team is back and in full swing for a new season. The team gets prepared as they have several girls interested in trying out for this season. But with bringing girls back from last season, it leaves very few open spots for new girls. The softball program had grown quite a bit by adding a lot of girls in the past few years.
“We have a lot of talent and a lot of really young kids that are good. There’s always someone that could take your spot at any moment. But I think that overall just pushes all of us to be better and I think it’s what makes our team so good.”[/pullquote],” senior captain Anna Corbid said.
The team spends time warming up as a group to prevent possible injuries. Then when trying out, the girls split into groups and practice with others around the same age or grade.
“When I went to tryouts this past week, I was in the infield group with the juniors and seniors and a couple of sophomores. Then you try out and they score you based on skills, communication on the field, and your leadership qualities while you’re on the field,” junior Mariah Koren added.
When playing a sport, it is necessary to be able to manage time between school, work and the sport. “It’s almost near impossible to balance it[work and softball] but you just have to make sure that you can get to practice six days a week and then on top of that, the seventh day of the week you work,” Koren said.
After the softball teams were finalized, numerous girls still ended up getting cut. On the other hand, the varsity team is mostly the same as last year as far as the same players. The team lost a few of their best players as they were seniors and graduated this past year.
“I think it’s going to be fairly similar last year where we just had a really good, like team chemistry and we work together really well. But I think we have a couple of new people that are really going to add a lot to our team and yeah, I think it’s gonna be really good, fairly similar, overall to last year, but with some like key people that are really going to bring a lot of energy,” Corbid said.
The team is not just about the players, but it takes a coach with good leadership skills to help lead the team. Some sports are more student-led than others, but coach Angie Ryan is committed and determined to build up the softball team. She has been coaching softball for 20 years.
“I want to coach because I think young women are pretty amazing. I just think that they’re great to work with at least the ones that we work with. Within the softball community we built a culture where if people want to work really hard, then they might choose softball as a sport. We definitely push them. So we just get really enjoyable, young people to work with. I like that about coaching and so I coach. I was a varsity head coach for 11 years at Forest Lake, then I coached at the University of St. Thomas for a season. Then I coached at Centennial High School for a season, then I was an assistant at Stillwater for two seasons and then I became the head coach here,” Ryan said.
With the teams being finalized, they are ready for their season. Their first game of the season was April 4 and they play against East Ridge.
