Spring is here and that means that the softball team is back and ready to play. The team has a new home field at the OHS. The new softball field is located directly behind the school and has a great atmosphere for softball.
The Huskies started off their season strong with a 19-0 shutout against the Austin Packers. The Huskies high-powered offense along with their strong pitching staff should be a good recipe for a team that can make a run in section play. Head coach Jeremy Moran said, “The team is looking strong. We have a very deep, very experienced varsity roster with several returning starters. Our offensive lineup is pretty solid 1-9 and we have a lot of talent at the pitching position.”
In the Huskies home opener, they beat Rochester Mayo 7-5. Senior Captain Elizabeth Radel said, “A big part of our success is that the entire order is hitting well, it’s not just the top five or six hitters. It’s all batters, one through nine.”
Coach Moran said, “The new field is completely artificial turf, a new surface from their old field which was a dirt infield and grass outfield.” The turf infield is a new aspect of the game that the Huskies will have to adjust to. Radel said, ”There are many noticeable differences between the new and old fields. The turf is much faster when fielding ground balls, and the hops off the ground are much more predictable.”
After losing a tough game to a talented New Prague team, the Huskies bounced back and won their weekend double-header by a combined 31 total points. Senior Captain Taya Selbrade said, “We have a lot of team chemistry, hopefully we can utilize it this season to carry us through.”
The Huskies are also bringing back an incredibly experienced team. All nine of the Huskies starters played significant innings last season so the Huskies are one of the most experienced teams in their conference. Coach Moran said, “Some keys to staying successful will be to remain consistent on defense, find ways to score runs against elite pitching, and continuing to support each other then things don’t go our way in a game.”
The Big 9 is very talented this season. There are some very talented teams like New Prague, Mankato East, and Mankato West. Selbrade said, “When we get to sections we will face some really skilled teams, such as Farmington and both Lakeville schools.”
The Huskies next game is on Monday, April 22, at home against Mankato East.