Coach Brenda Ellison refers to this season of varsity girls softball as a rebuilding year. The team relied on many graduating seniors for some field positions last year. Now, the coach is trying to manipulate the field positions to find the correct niche for each player so the girls may play as a team rather than as individuals.
The team has a season record of 6 wins and 13 losses.They are making necessary adjustments and trying to find the perfect combination of positions.
“This is a challenging year for us. We are going up against other Howell schools along with Zumwalt East [and] South,” Coach Ellison said.
Ellison believes one of the keys for the team to have success is through the seniors stepping up to take on their roles as leaders of the team.
“There is no captain on the team because no one has shown [official] forms of leadership,” said Coach Ellison.
However, the team as a whole has bonded. Coach Ellison said since the Jefferson City Tournament, the girls have been transformed from individuals into a true team. She thinks that through the increase of wins, the girls’ confidence will increase and they will play at a higher level in each game.
Despite their loses, the players go into each game with a clean slate. They have a positive attitude no matter where they play. Coach Ellison says there have been no complaints on where anyone is being put in the field; they all go willingly and play their best.
This year, the pitching rubber has been moved back by a couple of feet. Consequently this has increased the offensive side of the game. The girls have to focus on the defensive side of softball rather than obtaining runs.
“They have had an increase in errors because of the change in field positions. There has [also] been an increase in hitting,” said Coach Ellison.
So far in the season, the team has placed second in the Francis Howell Tournament. Coach Ellison believes they played some tough teams but were able to come out strong and take home a trophy. They just played Patonville and were able to pull out a win.
