On March 11, the girls varsity softball team held tryouts at the Highlander softball fields. Currently, the team practices daily to prepare for their upcoming games and to work together as a team to start the season off strong.
Despite the rain and snow, the team has dedicated time and hard work since the preseason. Head Coach Emily Watson, who is in her fourth season coaching at Homestead, shared her expectations for this season.
“Our goal is to place in the top four in conference and win a regional final. Aside from wins, I want my girls to continue to learn the game in a fun yet structured environment,” Watson said.
In preparation for upcoming games, Watson balances pushing the team physically while also ensuring the well-being of her players.
“To me these girls are not numbers, they are people. The girls can come to me if they are having a bad day or stressed. Their well-being is also a reason why we meditate every week. Keeps us grounded and refocuses us mentally,” Watson said.
As the team adds new players, tradition plays a key role in succession, as well as the development of relationships and performance. A tradition the team values is the creation of a word to define their upcoming season.
“It’s always fun to watch the girls brainstorm together to come up with a word that means something to them that we can use throughout the year. Kind of like their own mantra that they follow,” Watson said.
Since softball is a team sport, it is important that players form a strong relationship with each other. Jenna Burd, senior captain, positively reflected on the team dynamic.
“I would describe our team relationship as a family. We truly all treat each other as siblings with friendly banter and jokes, but it’s all so much fun,” Burd said.
“As a team we have always had a really good culture, everyone is always supportive and brings others up. This year we hope to improve on our ability to be ready from the start of the season which is really hard given our weather circumstances,” Burd added.
The first game of the season was scheduled for April 4 against Cedarburg, but was canceled due to weather conditions. Sophia Otto, senior, described the weather as an obstacle the team faces.
“Our biggest challenge as a spring sport is dealing with the elements. Most of our earlier games were canceled and rescheduled because of snow and rain constantly. I am surprised we are able to have a complete season to begin with,” Otto said.
