Softball program adjusts to challenges of cancellations
With 13 games cancelled so far this season, the softball program will be impacted by a tighter schedule this year.
With a tighter schedule for the varsity softball team, pitchers like junior Sadie Varhall could be impacted.
April 9, 2018
The varsity softball team is scheduled to play their first doubleheader of the season tonight against Blue Valley at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. As the team approaches what should mark the halfway point of their season, the weather has caused an unexpected turn for the season. All seven varsity softball games have been rescheduled due to wet and cold conditions.
The Huskies first doubleheader of the year was scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 against Saint Thomas Aquinas but was cancelled due to weather. Since then, five more varsity games have been cancelled. In total, the softball program has been forced to reschedule and cancel 13 games between varsity, JV and the C-team.
Varsity softball head coach Kim White said although she has been able to reschedule all seven varsity games, this raises challenges as the team will have to play their regular season in a shorter time frame than usual.
“We are gonna have weeks where we play three doubleheaders in one week,” White said. “That’s a lot to ask of our athletes.”
With shorter time to play all of their games, junior shortstop Haley Shin said the amount of games BVNW will have to play could cause problems.
“It can be concerning just because that’s a lot of games and it can be physically exhausting,” Shin said, “but I think that we’re all gonna be able to work hard and push through and hopefully win some games.”
Due to the weather, the softball players are forced to practice inside the gym rather than outside on softball fields. White said the biggest issue is on the defensive side of things as they cannot practice fly balls or ground balls on the gym floor.
Some of the players said the cancellations could be a blessing in disguise for the three injured players, which includes two pitchers and one catcher. Although they have not played, Shin and White said the team has tried their best to prepare for the season.
“I don’t think it’s really affected us negatively. I mean we’re all disappointed that we haven’t been able to play,” Shin said. “But, we’ve also been practicing and working really hard so that way when we do play, we can succeed.”
