Softball sets sights on winning season
Winning the NWAACCs is the unanimous goal for the softball team this year, said coach Meadow McWhorter. Friday’s scheduled home opener against Everett has been moved to Sunday, because of weather conditions. Games are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. “We are sick of practicing. We want to see what we need to work on, to get better, to finally get to do what we’ve been working for so long,” said McWhorter. The short, 13-player roster has four returning from last season. McWhorter said, “There’s something special about this group. I have never had a team that always makes me want to come to practice and give my all. I feel like they want to be here, that they look forward to practice. And when they get here 99.9 percent of the time, I have every single kid here giving their all and that’s something that’s super exciting about this team.” She added, “They are very intense, they’re focused and the team chemistry is unbelievable. Usually every year we have a team with one or two outcasts. We’ve gone through a lot as a team. And there’s 13 girls that truly enjoy one another and enjoy playing with each other. It’s going to be an exciting year.” For the first time, the softball team will have two team captains. One is a freshman, catcher Holly Rossman, and the other one is returning sophomore Allison Grice. Last year they took fourth in the NWAACC tournament, after taking the long road to get there, knocking out a lot of very talented teams in the tournament, said McWhorter. “Every single one of these kids has been a part of a winning program at some point of their life, and I can see that they bring that to practice every single day. Everyone wants to play, and everyone wants to win,” said McWhorter. Only two out of MHCC’s four pitchers are eligible and healthy. Outfielder/pitcher Samantha Stockfleth and Ashley Gibson’s goal is to be back by the end of March after undergoing knee surgery. Infielder Nicole Wilson is also ineligble for the first three weeks. Both Wilson and Stockfleth will be back for the March 28 game against South Pugent Sound. “We have two freshman pitchers who are really going to have to step it up and go the extra mile these first few weeks of the preseason. Meghan Gendron has really zoned in, to help carry this team on the mound. Her big weakness has been mental toughness, and she has come leaps and bounds from what she was in the fall,” said McWhorter. Defensively, the team has high potential. “We could have one of the top defensive teams in the league, if they do what they need to do and they learn how to play as a team. We have people playing other positions that they’re not used to playing, but they really stepped up and said, ‘I’m going to do what’s best for the team. I want to win. I want to play,’” said McWhorter. As far as offense, “If these women stay aggressive, this could be the strongest offensive team we’ve had. We have more size than we’ve ever had in the past. We’ve been working hard in the weight room. The weight room is a big place where singles turn into doubles,” said McWhorter. This is not going to be a team with one or two main stars, the coach said. “Each day we have someone step up and become a top player. “For this team to win it’s going to take all 13, every game. Every double header we play, we’ll have to use every single player on the bench,” McWhorter said.
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