As the winter sports season comes to an end, coaches and players alike are preparing for their upcoming spring sports, one of which being WA’s softball team. After a challenging but impressive 2023-2024 season, the softball players are returning with high hopes.
This year, the team hopes to perform well in their regular season, make it to states, and receive a high ranking in the DCL championship later this year. To achieve these goals, the team will have to overcome some obstacles.
“[The softball team] didn’t work well together [last year] because a lot of people [had] bad attitudes towards the game. We want to make sure we’re fixing that this year and make it known that [a single person’s attitude] affects everyone else as well,” senior co-captain Sanvi Luthra said.
The players also want to improve their on-field performance by stringing together more hits, advancing their strategy going into the game, rotating player positions more evenly, and scoring more points overall.
“When we have runners in scoring position, we have to do whatever it takes to score the next run, even if it means bunting or doing something we didn’t want to do,” head coach Gina Mustoe said. “That’s part of the strategy to win.”
To ensure that their competitive goals are met, the captains’ main priorities are that all of the players are practicing and playing in a good environment and that the players can find a community within their team. Although most of the teammates know each other through recreational and travel softball programs, making and developing connections is of the utmost importance.
“We’ve been reiterating the idea of supporting everyone around you, even if they’re not your best friend,” senior co-captain Anya Gesin said.
To further encourage this mantra, the team plans to incorporate time into their first couple of captain-led practices to not only improve their weaker skills, but also to introduce themselves to people they might not know very well. The team traditionally holds spaghetti dinners before each upcoming game to heighten players’ spirits. They participate in a scavenger hunt at the beginning of the year for all the players to find enjoyment in.
“These activities really help us to create stronger bonds, especially when we have a larger team. Once we get to the middle of the season, we’ve all gotten close and start to hang out a little bit more,” senior co-captain Mikayla Creighton said.
WA Softball is full of players who are passionate and dedicated to the sport they play. They are expecting an impressive season ahead where they hope to foster connections between teammates and bring their gameplay up to the next level. Their home opener is against Littleton High School on April 2 at 4:00 p.m.
