Softball team continues momentum as playoffs approach

0
“There’s no doubt in my mind that we are the best well-rounded team in the Jayhawk Conference” said Aubree Brattin, head coach. The statement held up by the team’s outstanding coordination during practice. Photo by Aaron Switzer, The Campus Ledger
''

Alessandro DeBrevi

Staff reporter

adebrevi@jccc.edu

The softball team is in the middle of another successful season, with postseason play set to begin in a few weeks. The team is currently 18-12, after splitting a doubleheader with Labette on Tuesday.

Aubree Brattin, head coach, said she knows expectations for the program are high, but she has been pleased with the results so far this season.

“Every year our goals are pretty similar,” Brattin said. “We’ve been ranked nationally. Every year [we] are looking to win a conference championship, to win a regional championship, get to that national tournament and have a chance to compete for the national championship.”

It is often difficult for community college programs to develop chemistry, but both Brattin and her players believe that this has been a strength for the team this year.

Madison Wegner, catcher, said that this directly translates to the team’s performance.

“The way that we communicate with each other, off the field especially,” Wegner said. “We have really good team chemistry. I think that we’re able to come together and support each other.”

Sometimes having a cohesive group can lead to a lack of focus and it will be key for the players to channel their energy and focus on the task at hand.

“We have a lot of energy but sometimes we don’t put the energy in the right places,” Wegner said. “Sometimes we have the tendency to play really well the first game and slack off the second game or vice-versa. We just need to be able to bring that energy 24/7.”

Halle Brin, pitcher and first baseman, echoed a similar sentiment while also bringing up the group’s ability to lock in and get the job done.

“We’re all goofy and we can all have fun, but we can also take this game very seriously,” Brin said.

They have been able to maintain a healthy balance, in large part, due to the leadership of the veterans. In particular, the freshmen have benefitted from learning in this kind of environment.

“We have a very wide variety of leaders,” Wegner said. “We have people who lead by example, we have the vocal leaders. Having that mix of those type of leaders is really good for the freshmen.”

As the regular season winds down, the coaches and players have their eyes set on the challenges that the postseason will present. The players are aware they have not been perfect, but they believe that they can learn from the regular season and use this knowledge to their benefit.

“Up to this point, we’ve had a couple slip-ups …” Wegner said. “Knowing what our weaknesses are and losing those games, I think is actually going to help us in the postseason, knowing that we can’t have any slip-ups once the postseason starts.”

Brattin said she’s confident in her team’s ability to compete for a conference championship and to make a playoff run.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we are the best well-rounded team in the Jayhawk Conference,” Brattin said. “So if we can show up and play like we’re capable of and if that’s what they’re focused on, then the outcome’s going to be what we want it to be.”

The softball team will continue their season on Thursday April 12, when they host Cowley at 2 & 4 p.m. More information on the softball team can be found here.

''

NO COMMENTS

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.