High expectations for girls softball
photo by Sarah Hinnant
Senior Lauren Tulp high fives girls softball coach Wendy Acey in celebration.
Anticipation for the softball season was high after the near complete cut of last year’s season. Saturday morning in the preseason classic, the girls put up a good effort against East Ridge staying 0-0 for 5 innings, before getting rained out and Tuesday evening they fell to Oviedo 3-1 in the first official game in the season. Despite this initial loss and preseason cancellation, girls softball remains hopeful of a successful season.
Coronavirus shortened the 2020 season by more than half, providing a lot of off time to condition, look forward and work towards the following season.
Most girls have continued to play travel games and further their skills in the off season.
Catcher Savannah Miller has “been working out three times a week with a strength coach.”
Because of this, instead of lacking momentum like a lot of other sports, girls softball has picked up the 2021 season as almost a continuation of last year and are looking forward to a successful season.
“Our overall goal is to win states,” outfielder Lauren Tulp said, “we’re just going to look at it as one game at a time.”
Tulp is committed to Palm Beach Atlantic University, along with all four other seniors committed to play in college.
The guarantee of a college career is not stopping the girls from reaching for the overall goal of the state championship, hoping to repeat their freshman year.
“A lot of us are going to look at every game like it may be our last,” says infielder Daryn Miller, committed to the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
With such accomplishments from seniors and high expectations overall, pressure on lower classmen can be very hard. But even with the talent from upperclassmen, the skills from lowerclassmen aren’t limited. Freshman pitcher Rachel Matthesien pitched all five innings on Saturday, holding East Ridge scoreless
Seniors are “pushing the younger girls to be the best they can possibly be,” said Miller. “We’re always there for them if they’re having any issues.”
Even if the season doesn’t go as expected, the girls are still incredibly proud of even making it this far.
“We are all happy for each other and what we’ve accomplished…it encourages us to push each other and work harder,” said Tulp.
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