The Lady Cats softball season is underway in the early season and they have already had success. They opened their season in Harrison, Arkansas and they went 2-1 on the weekend, their only loss coming to the defending state champs and nationally ranked Bentonville with a score of 4-0. Their recent tournament in Mt. Vernon the Lady Cats beat four ranked teams in the state of Missouri with one of those teams being the defending state champs.
The Lady Cats are looking to improve from last season and many athletes have worked hard to see improvement.
“I feel like I improve each season and get better with my spin pitches and form. I feel like I’m more confident in myself with pitching than I was last year,” senior pitcher Brylee Brewster said.
“I feel like I have improved on my confidence while in the field and compared to last season I feel like my offense will be better
This year, the Lady Cats are looking to win districts and make it into the state tournament.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to this season is seeing how far we can go in the postseason and making memories while doing that,” senior Haylee Cobb said.
Districts for the Lady Cats begins on May 8th.
Players say building relationships with their teammates is one of the most rewarding aspects of playing the sport.
“I love being with all my friends and I love seeing everybody improve, everyone on the team has a role,” sophomore infielder Mady Reimund said.
“The relationships. We have a great group of girls. I love getting to hear about their days, help motivate them and encourage them to do their best on and off the field. I also love competing. It’s rewarding showing up everyday and pouring love into a sport that has done so much for me and girls who mean so much to me,” head Coach Kelli Eierman said.
Last year, the Lady Cats fell short of a district title after being ranked second in the state. They look to get back to where they were last year and go even further without their All-State catcher Tanna Howe who suffered a torn ACL. It’s going to take everyone this season and throughout the long season they will have to stay tough.
“Our main goal is to stay tough throughout the season. We continuously talk about being tough at the plate, being tough defensively and, most importantly, being mentally tough. We are going to achieve this by working on it at practice and in games,” Eierman said.
Softball is a long season, athletes play many games and you may go through cold spells but you can’t let that dictate the rest of your season.
“I try to stay positive by reminding myself that I am a good pitcher and my teammates and I have each other’s backs through anything,” Brewster said.
“I always have to remember to relax and breathe, and teammates are a big part of that. I always can rely on my team to keep me positive and to not hang my head. Reimund said.
