It was only a few years ago when the girls softball program was young in age and small in size, with barely enough players to make one team. Although the team is still young now, the program has grown immensely.

“A few years back, we didn’t even have a JV team. And now we have a JV team, a varsity team and we really did have tryouts this year. And it was like a real thing.” Senior co-captain Vanessa Miller said. “We need to continue the upward trend, stay positive, and play like we can.”

One of the steps to growing as a team is, obviously, practicing. And for the girls, that means refreshing their memories after a long winter by spending plenty of time on the fields and in the batting cages, throwing, catching and hitting the ball. “Fielding is like riding a bike. Hitting is like riding a unicycle. It takes a little longer to remember.” Miller said. Having uplifting practices is a valued thing for the girls as well. “We do have practices some days when we feel like we’re getting down and we say ‘okay, nobody say anything negative for the rest of the day.’ It helps a lot […] and it makes practice a lot more fun,” Junior Olivia Williams Ridge said. “It’s the beginning of the season, so being patient with each other is a very important thing.”

As senior co-captains, Miller and Ella Hommeyer have the responsibility of giving pep talks and advice to the rest of the team. They each have their own methods, but their differences balance out to create a dynamic duo. “I’m one of those players that doesn’t sugar coat things, but also doesn’t say things too bluntly. So I like to cheer the team on as in: ‘Guys we can play better because we are better than this,’” Miller said. “Ella Hommeyer is more of the ‘we can do this guys!’ cheerleader, but she also tells it as it is.”

The team has been through plenty of growing pains, but they continue to play as hard as they can. “We have more players this year and a lot more people who want to be here.” Miller said. This positivity of participation and love of the sport is pushing the team in a good direction. “Because we are such a young team, we are all getting to know the game a little more and the people that we play with, which is hard sometimes. But you can tell we are getting more comfortable with each other.” Williams Ridge said.

As the team gets bigger, the more important it is that the girls are getting along and working well together. Miller has a rule to go by to keep her team unified.

“Just pick each other up and if you drop the ball, just pick that up. Don’t waste time. Finish the play and then reflect.”