With bat in hand and feet on the ground, senior Haley deMontel is ready for whatever the pitcher throws. Seconds feel like minutes. Then, in a blink of an eye, the ball is flung from the pitcher’s hand. deMontel swings and sends the ball flying into the outfield, over the other team’s gloves. They try to catch the ball but fail, all while deMontel safely runs to first base.

Winning a game can be exciting and fun, but it requires a lot of hard work and dedication from the players. Both how a player does individually as well as how they work together as a team makes the biggest difference.

“It takes more than just talent, it takes all the pieces and definitely takes that accountability, that commitment, that positive attitude as well as the talent,” head coach Casie Onken said.

Many sports, like softball, are mental games along with physical. How a player feels about  her ability affects how she plays as a player.

“Softball is more of a mental game than a physical game,” senior Haley deMontel said. “For me, a challenge I face is the mental aspect of the game. It’s easy to get down on yourself after a strikeout or an error, but you need to understand that it is part of the game and everyone makes mistakes. Thankfully, my teammates are always by my side to cheer me on and pick me up.”

It can be easy to be affected mentally by who the team plays.  Getting a pitch too high or swinging too late, among other things, can affect performance.

“You could have the worst error, the worst pitch of your life and you still have to keep going,” sophomore Audrina Urwin said. “You always have someone behind you to back you up to tell you good things and to make you a better player.”

Coaching does not  stop even during the off-season. There is conditioning provided to athletes, who may not play other sports, during the off-season to become better at softball or just better athletes in general.

“I like seeing them develop as players and when they feel like ‘I can do that’, ‘I can’t do that and then all of a sudden they’re able to and they work on it,” Onken said. “Teaching that work ethic piece and how it does really make a difference when you put that extra time in. Especially off-season, hitting, weight room, and getting that payback for them. I think what I enjoy the most is that success piece; when they start to see the pieces come together. Not just with themselves, but the team as a whole.”

It’s not just coaching that is helping the players get better, but the players themselves helping each other out. The more experienced players help the less experienced ones.

“Being able to play with my best friend Haley deMontel, she always pushes me to the best of my ability,” Urwin said. “Most of my teammates are always there cheering me up, pushing me to do my best and pushing me further.”

All that hard work athletes put in and players getting to know each other helps with moral and the overall experience more enjoyable. With players cheering each other on while there at bat and helping each other become better athletes, in the end its the players being there for each other.

“I think as a team we will do even better than we did last year,” deMontel said. “I feel this year our team chemistry is one of the best yet. We all get along and we all trust each other on the field.”