Tournament time for the Lady Bulldogs

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Rachel Niemeyer

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Softball has been doing their best against all the competition they have faced the past few weeks. They had their season opener on Feb. 15 against Pine Tree with a score of 10-9. As of right now varsity’s record is 5-13.

“One thing I want to improve on is my batting average improvement,” senior Cailey Brown said.

The varsity has had other wins so far. During their Sabine Tournament, they beat Arp by a score of 14-1. During their Longview Tournament, they went three for three against Cumby, Gladewater and Commerce. Cumby’s score totaled out to 8-0. Gladewater was 4-3 with an extra inning and Commerce was beaten with a score of 7-2.

“My favorite thing about softball is getting to make memories with my best friends before we graduate,” sophomore Preslie Day said.

Both teams are very close with each other as well as with their coaches. The team practices every week inside and outside of school to keep up with good habits, conditioning, working on game situations and technique, etc.

Mackenzie Cooper-Jones, a senior on the team, says her favorite quote about softball is: “Your team becomes your family, the ball becomes your best friend, the field becomes your home and the game becomes your life.”

The players have to be on their A-game and be responsible all the time is a must for being on the softball team. Players must also try to remember they are representing their school and team in public so must also try to keep up good appearances in and out of school. The coaches hold the players to a high standard and push the players to be their very best.

“Softball has influenced me to be confident, dependable and coachable, as well as be disciplined,” Brown said.

The captain for the Varsity team is Cailey Brown. The JV captain is Baylee Bonds. The girls on both teams got to vote on who they thought showed the most leadership and coachable attitudes.

Being a captain means the player has to be responsible for their other teammates, make sure they are leading the team in the correct direction as they are looking to the captain for guidance. The captains hope to help their players grow into the sport and into themselves.

“Something softball has taught me for the real world is to work hard for things you want and never give up. Keep striving for success,” Cooper- Jones said.