The ball whistling through the air.

The crack of a bat.

The cheers from the crowd.

All of these come together to build the excitement that characterizes softball. As the season begins, head coach Lauryn Berger shares her goals and expectations. 

“I think our biggest goal this year is to continue to establish our culture,” Berger said. “We’ve been working hard for our motto of togetherness, so that’s been our main goal.”

When it comes to sports, people tend to only think about what happens on the field and not about what happens off of it. Without a strong team bond, the players may face struggles during the season. Berger also expressed that another goal for the team is to make it through districts.

“As a coach, we want to continue to improve the kids’ confidence,” Berger said. “Just getting them to be very confident when they’re out on the field, and believing in themselves and that they can.”

People are always growing and improving from their past, especially players. Many student athletes doubt their abilities which can negatively impact them and the team. Berger conveyed that “showing the kids that they have the skills to do great things is a big focus as a coach.”

 “I think their [the senior players] leadership is going to make a big change with our group this year compared to the past couple of years,” Berger said. “So I’m excited to see how they lead and what they will do to help the younger ones kind of get in the fold.”