By Izzie A

Though try-outs won’t take place until the week of March 13, from 4:30-6:30 pm indoors, or if the weather is nice, outdoors from 6:00-8:00 pm, students interested in trying out for the 2017 women’s softball team have been gathering in the weight room a couple of days a week in the evening to condition for the upcoming season and prepare for the week-long tryouts.

These workouts are overseen by varsity and JV coach Jaclyn Pilkiewicz. Conditioning for the upcoming season is essential because getting the athletes in shape is the first step to having successful players on the field. “It is important for us to work out so that we can get stronger for the season and be physically prepared,” said sophomore Reagan Perttunen. Toning your whole body is important for softball, but the team likes to do specific workouts to focus in on certain muscles and parts of the body. “We mostly do core workouts, such as squats, but we also do a lot of running to focus in on our legs,” explained senior Avery Fay. 

Coming together to work out not only helps the team to get in shape, but it also allows the girls to bond together and establish leadership. “At conditioning, junior Lily Eagleton stands out as a leader to me because she pushes me to stay focused. One time we were doing bench presses and we were supposed to do five sets of ten, and instead of only doing some, Lily pushed me to complete all the sets,” explained freshman Anna Loughery.  It is also important to have self motivation in order to get in shape for softball, because it doesn’t come easily. “I play year-round softball and push myself to go to all the workouts even though they aren’t always fun,” said Junior Jessica Kreuzer.