Season Looks Promising for Young Softball Team

Six days of softball games in perfect spring weather kicked off the 2006 season for the new-look EMU Royals softball team.

Despite having only one upperclassman on the team roster, the team has high expectations for the upcoming season. "Despite being such a young team, we have the talents and ability to compete with any team we play. Being young will also work towards our advantage because we will be able to develop into an even stronger team over the next few seasons" stated freshman Mandee Madden. The team was 3-1 in Virginia Beach and 3-5 in Florida, accounting for their 6-6 record during spring break.

After two months of indoor and outdoor practices, they began their season during spring break by participating in two tournaments. On March 4-6, the team played four games in the Virginia Wesleyan Softball Tournament in Virginia Beach. The softball team then traveled down to Orlando, Florida to compete in the Rebel Spring Games at the Rebel Softball Complex, having the opportunity to play eight other teams from around the country.

This was the first year the softball team had the opportunity to play in Florida and benefit from the early start to their season. "The opportunity to play a number of games early in the season by traveling south has helped to make us stronger and more confident as we begin ODAC competition," said coach J.D. McCurdy. Cold, rainy weather, and numerous storms prevented the team from getting in valuable game experience during spring breaks in previous years.

The opportunity to play 12 games before the start of ODAC competition has been beneficial, giving the young team much-needed experience. Over half of the players had never played in collegiate softball competition before the tournaments. "We played several high caliber teams over spring break, which gave many of our freshman a chance to experience what the competition level is like," commented sophomore Natasha Viafora.

The Royals were picked a disappointing seventh in the overall ODAC preseason polls. The team is prepared to prove that they are ready to compete with the teams at the top of the ODAC. Having only 5 home games this spring is a challenge facing the team since they will need to pick up many wins while playing on the road. "Being on the road is going to take a lot of endurance, but it also gives the team a greater amount of time to spend time together," remarked sophomore Laura Bomberger.

A promising future looks to be in place for this young team, whose starters are all freshmen and sophomores. The Lady Royals have a current overall record of 11-11 and split a pair of games at Lynchburg College on Tuesday who was picked to finish 2nd in the ODAC. The team is currently riding a three game winning streak.