By: Kelsea Hall
Western’s softball team earned No. 5 seed in the MIAA Softball Championships after welcoming 11 new players this season.
The team finished the season with a record of 24-27, compared to last year’s 36-16. They agreed that they faced difficulties earlier in the season, but they are looking forward to future seasons together after experiencing a bit of luck and determination on the field.
Head Softball Coach Jennifer Trotter said, “Our overall record is not spectacular, but we started off the year really rough. We have so many new faces that it just took a while for this team to really gel in the field.”
Their game improved when the players bonded and created friendships both on and off the field. Shelby Uhl, a junior who bats first in the lineup, believes that when the players bond off the field their communication improves on the field.
“We are all genuinely good friends. I don’t know how many teams can say that, but we all hang out outside of practice, and I think that is a big contributing factor to how we communicate on the field,” Uhl said.
Friendships off the field allow the team to become more comfortable with each other and coherently work together while enjoying their time on the field. They became so close this season that Uhl plans to room with a few of the other players from her team. From pretending Starburst Jelly Beans are power pills, to even harnessing the luck from a four leaf clover they named Steve, the team has a few fun memories from the season.
“On St.Patrick’s day, one of the freshman found a four leaf clover by our batting cages, so she put it in a bag and everyone touched it before the game, and we played really well that weekend,” Uhl said.
The players brought the clover to every game after that. The clover’s luck must have rubbed off on the team, because Uhl lead off the St. Patrick’s day game against Northeastern with a solo home run into left field, and earned MIAA’s player of the week three times this season. They even went on a seven game winning streak after that.
The two home games against Northeastern were the team’s favorite games of the season, because of the persistence and strength it took to win the games back to back. Both games entered 10 innings and lasted eight hours, and kept the Griffons on the edge of their seats.
“It was the first time that our team could just feel that ‘refuse to lose’ vibe that we have felt in teams in the past,” Trotter said. “More than anything the way they fought to win both of those games was a key moment this season.”
Shelbie Atwell recalled how the experiences on the field was great motivation for her team.
“The feeling of winning compared to the feeling of losing is the only motivation I need.,” Atwell said. “Also knowing that my teammates want it as bad as I do motivates me even more.”
Atwell, who finished her last season with the Griffons, left words of wisdom for her team:
“The advice I want to give my new team members is to respect the game. One day it’ll be your last, and you don’t want to feel like you didn’t leave it all out on the field every single opportunity,” she said.
Atwell said that she will miss the competitive aspect of the game, as well as all the memories and friends she made in the process. All of the athletes on Western’s softball team can benefit from the team in their own ways, but Atwell learned a valuable lesson future players will know as well.
“The most important lesson I have learned from being a teammate is the different ways to interact with different people,” Atwell siad. “Being a part of a team is the best feeling ever; they become your family.”
