Softball is starting the season with a dinger.
The Bear River Varsity Softball team are hoping to make the 2018 season the year they go back to being PVL champs. Historically, Bruins have been known for winning PVLs with the 2017 season being a exception.
Senior and Co-Team Captain Gabi Royston is thrilled for her last game wearing the Bruin jersey.
“The senior game is what I’m most excited for,” she said. “I’m a senior and it’s a fun game. Your family gets to go down to the field with you and they do a little spiel for you. I think it’s a cool thing.”
Junior Katrina Ecke is a first-year Varsity player and can’t wait to hang out with the girls she’s played with for years.
“I’m excited to hang out with my friends that I don’t normally hang out with and get to know everyone a little bit better,” said Ecke.
Head Coach Steve McCullough said he looks forward to a senior-filled season, students that he has coached for years and watched grow up.
“(I’m thrilled about the season) with so many seniors I am excited to see them play,” said Coach McCullough.
Senior Taylor Borges is hoping for a season that comes with, not only growth as players, but growth within the team.
“I’m hoping that we work really well together, just bring each other up and make it a good season,” she said. “I want to win some games.”
Royston is hoping to go to back to PVL to finish her high school softball career.
“I really hope that we win PVL,” she said. “I think that it would be fun and that we have a shot in going far this season.”
Coach McCullough is hopeful that superior pitching will add to the team’s success.
“(We are going to have a pretty strong team), we have a good pitcher with Kaitlyn (Maddux, senior), so just putting in the juniors to fill in will be our challenge,” said McCullough.
Borges believes that in order to have a winning season, Bruins need to clean up their defense.
“We need to fix the easy errors that we are making in order to have a good season,” said Borges. “We need to stop getting upset when we do something bad, just brush it off and keep up good attitudes.”
Royston thinks that having good attitudes will make the team better.
“We need to have a strong defense and not get nervous when there is a good pitcher,” said Royston. “We just need to pick a good pitch and hit it. No pouting, we just need to be confident.”
Ecke keeps it simple, by saying that not having a good attitude is going to be damaging to the season.
“We to have good attitudes in order to have a good season,” said Ecke.
Coach McCullough went a different route and thinks that the team has to be able to compete at Varsity level.
“Getting all the girls in softball condition and the new players up to speed of the Varsity level (is going to be a struggle for this year),” said Coach McCullough.
Borges is hopeful for the rest of the season.
“Let’s go Bruins and have a good season!”