Despite finishing their 2014 season with a 0-19 record, the girls softball team and coaching staff are considering the new season to be a blank slate where anything can happen. Last year, they lost some senior players. However, the team isn’t letting that discourage them from having a great season.

The coaching staff is working hard to make sure that all players on the team have a solid foundation in the game, learning and practicing the basic skills of softball. Then the players will be able to focus on the strategy aspect of the game.

The team’s head coach, Eric Behrenshausen, said, “If you don’t have good skill, you won’t be successful. It is important for all of our players to have the skills to effectively react in a game situation. If we have to teach them skills to succeed, we will. It is a great group of girls this year and I’m expecting some leaders to develop soon.”

The coaching staff this year is trying to build a new team with help from some of the older players. They are trying to improve upon last season and win some games. By working hard in the high school off-season and training in the winter, they hope to come back and prove their worth.

“The transformation is coming. I see a lot of good athletes coming up this season,” said Behrenshausen.

The majority of the roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Due to the lack of upperclassmen, Behrenshausen is hoping for a leader to develop out of the younger players. Behrenshausen says, “I’m looking for a leader and someone who will lead the team to some victories in the upcoming season. Hopefully we will have a talented and successful group of underclassmen this season because that could lead to many successful seasons in the future.”

Senior Liz Glenn has been playing on the team for four years. When asked about goals for the season she answered, “As a team we are striving to go to the playoffs this year.”

This goal could be possible with a lot of hard work and effort from both the team and coaches. Glenn says that her freshmen year was probably the most successful out of the three she has played so far. She hopes to change that and be able to say that her senior year was the most successful.

The team has been working year round to improve their skills. There is a travel softball team that plays in the fall.

According to Coach Behrenshausen, “Most of the core players who have been here for awhile have participated in the travel softball team.”

Winter workouts and open gyms were also offered. The travel team and the open gyms were a great way for the girls to get used to working together. It also prepared them for the upcoming season. It was a great opportunity for the players to get to know and work with the whole coaching staff.

Freshman Abigail Medina is new to the high school team this year, and she is looking forward to a great season. Medina has been playing for eight years but is still working hard in practice.

“I’ve played with these coaches for two years now and I think they are a great and talented coaching staff,” said Medina. She thinks tryouts are a little intimidating for freshmen but is excited to be apart of the team. Similar to Glenn, she set a goal for the team to win at least one game this season if they don’t make it to the playoffs.

“You’ve got to empower them, but also empower them to do it correctly,” said Behrenshausen and that is exactly what he has been doing. Behrenshausen participates in the workouts with the girls. He is always right there with them doing jumping jacks or running drills. This seems to have a lasting impact on the players.

Sophomore Mackenzie Weary has been working with Behrenshausen since she was in seventh grade.

“He’s a great coach and I absolutely love the coaches. They know exactly what to say to pump us up or help us through a tough situation. That is just great,” said Weary.

The softball team is expected to do well this season. With Coach Behrenshausen, a great coaching staff and hardworking players combined, the team could go far and possibly reach its goal of making it to playoffs. The team starts tryouts next week shortly followed by regular season practices.