The Academy softball team’s season has swung into action. The team had two pre-season games last week and have started the season off right this week with an 8-4 win over Academy of the Lakes on Monday, February 6. 

With a different and smaller coaching staff, the team looks forward for this upcoming season. The team is led by the returning Coach Don Barron and the new Coach Kendall Arnold. Coach Arnold’s experiences as a former player at the University of South Florida will give her a greater insight into the game as an Academy coach.

The Jags’ first pre-season game, a loss against Robinson (7-3), could have downed the team’s spirit. However, when asked about their loss, Junior Alexandra Gerecke said, “As a team we need to learn from our mistakes and play better together for the rest of the season.”

The team improved in their second game with a win against Freedom on Thursday, February 3. This win promised that the  new season will hold lots of competition and excitement for the softball team.

Senior Katie Elliott said about the season, “I am just trying to treat it like any other year, but it’s a lot more exciting. I am also more driven because it is my last chance to play softball since I am not going to play in college. It is more fun at this point because all of us on the team are all really close. It is going to be an exciting season.”

With one win  behind them and another game against Sunlake this Thursday, February 9, the girls are in high hopes for a successful season, backed by their determination to practice hard and improve with every chance they get.