The spring season is here, and JV softball team has performed well through the season with a 6-2 record.
The team faced off against Franklin on april 18th, which is one of the better softball programs in the PIL.
Early on in the third inning, the game was very close, the score being 6-7 with Franklin in the lead. At one point, the game was tied, and the team kept fighting, keeping the game neck and neck. In the end, however, Franklin got the better of them, winning 17-12.
Sophomore Hailey Thompson talked about the importance of bouncing back after a tough loss.
“We should make sure we don’t get down on ourselves after a tough loss and just keep practicing,” Thompson said.
A big part of their success this season has been from their aggressive base running to get more runs in their games. During the team’s matchup against Franklin, their baserunning skill definitely showed.
“We were aggressive on the bases, which I’m super proud of,” head coach Madeline Hollands said.
The team also pitched well.
“During the game I threw a bunch of strikes,” Thompson said. “It made me feel like all of my hardwork has finally been paying off.”
The team also focused on communicating during their game.
“We did well communicating with each other, and we also did a good job supporting each other,” second baseman Emerson Oliver said.
Keeping up team chemistry is very crucial to a team’s success, and this team is no exception.
‘It’s very important to be supportive, especially to the people who haven’t played before because we all start somewhere, and at the end of it, it’s just a game and it’s supposed to be fun,” Thompson said.
A focus for the team is to put themselves in situational practices so they can prepare to go against some of the better teams in the league.
Another thing the team excelled at throughout their game was swinging the bat despite skilled competition.
“With Franklin bringing out a strong pitcher, we were still swinging the bat,” Hollands said.
A goal for the team by the end of this spring season is to improve more as a team and for the team to tighten their bond even more.
Throughout their season there have been some outstanding moments. For Thompson, one of her favorite moments was hitting her first high school home run. This moment was really special for Thompson because this specific home run got her out of a slump and helped build her confidence back up.
There have also been some players that stood out from the pack, including sophomore Sydnee Sizemore and sophomore Selicia Scott.
“Sydnee is really great because you can put her in any position and she’ll do really good,” first baseman Willa Gobel said.
Gobel also talked about Scott and her contributions to the team.
“Selicia has done really well pitching this year,” she said.
The team has a strong record and is looking to finish off their season well. Their next games are against Grant at Wilshire Park and Franklin at Clinton Park.
