On Feb. 22, the softball team opened their season with the Mount Mary Slugger Series in Peoria, Illinois. The team defeated the Loras Duhawks 2-1 in their first game of the series but dropped the next two of three games. After the opening series, the team’s record sits at 2-2. The softball team’s hard work from the previous season has placed them third in the CCIW preseason poll done by the coaches.
“We were ranked low last year, and I think it pushed us to work a lot harder,” junior Emily Gad said. “When we had our open gyms during the very beginning of our preseason, we were always pushing each other, constantly working hard. So, when we found out that we were ranked third, it felt really good.”
Despite the outcomes of the opening tournament, the team still has high hopes for the season as the first few games are meant to readjust to the pace of the game.
“The games were a positive start for us,” senior Claudia Buchholz said. “As a team, we’re a slower starting group, where we like to get all of our kinks worked out in the beginning and then we’re strong towards the end of the season.”
The improvements from last season come from the change in pace in practice. Senior Morgan Bielfeldt said she knows how much effort the team needs to put into training for the season.
“We practiced throughout the fall and then during November and December, we were just doing lifting and conditioning,” Bielfeldt said. “When we got back here in January, we were doing workouts pretty much every day, and then we would have open gyms every night, sometimes two a day, so we kind of hit the ground running.”
Even though they improved from last season, Head Coach John Nelson knows that they can’t stop working. “Every single day, our goal is to get 1% better than the day before and never be satisfied with any of our accomplishments,” Nelson said. “We know that there are always better teams out there, and our goal is to beat the best teams that we face.”
Looking past the regular season, one of the team’s primary goals is to earn a place in the national tournament.
“Every team’s goal should be to win your conference and make it to the national tournament, and we haven’t veered from that,” Nelson said.
Team bonding emerged as a key aspect of Augie Softball’s success. The players stressed their strong bond which reflected friendliness both on and off the field.
“We are a tight-knit group,” Buchholz said. “When you spend so much time together, it’s easy to get close to one another. We’re a supportive and uplifting group with the funniest people.”
Encouraging a balance between hard work and enjoying the journey, the players encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zones.
First-Year Lilli Burton is a player who not only enjoys the game of softball but also cherishes the bonds she has made with her teammates off the field.
“I love softball, but I came to like it,” Burton said. “ I think it’s very influential, and I don’t think I would be the person I am today without a sport like this, so I think it’s very good for your personal and mental health.”
As the season progresses, the team’s relationship with one another remains strong and allows them to succeed.
“I’m just really proud of all of our girls,” Buchholz said.