Soggy playing fields and freezing temperatures haven’t made it easy for the women’s softball team to be out on the practice field this year, but their passion for the game kept them sliding into home plate covered in dirt during practice on every cool, rainy day this spring.
From having to play their games on the football field to dealing with injuries to a few key players, the team has dealt with many challenges beyond their control. However, their team catchphrase, “We before Me,” has helped the women see the light at the end of a very cold tunnel.
Coach Jeff Annis has been the softball coach at Gustavus for nine years. For Annis, putting a team together each year is the most rewarding part of being a coach.
“Each team presents different challenges and different players, and each year we are able to compete at a high level,” Annis said.
Annis along with Assistant Coach Kyhl Thomson have led the team to a 23-13 record. The team was 17-5 in the conference, and secured the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament this upcoming weekend. Thomson credits the team for having talent along with great depth.
“We have one of the most talented groups we’ve ever had. We are two to three people deep at every position. Working with these young ladies at the collegiate level is very exciting,” Thomson said.
Junior Carly Klass believes the team is on the fast track to accomplishing their biggest goals this season.
“We have accomplished one goal by making the tournament and I feel that we are more than capable to win the conference tournament if we simply put everything we have been working for together,” Klass said.
Klass says this season the women’s softball team built a family of their own.
“You go through so many ups and downs during the short three month season that it would be impossible to go through that amount of time without them,” Klass said.
Not only does this family see each other at practice, but they also are there for each other outside of softball.
“I love all my teammates and the fact that we hang out outside of softball,” First-Year Hannah Heacox said.
For Senior Kat Dahl, these three months have made her realize that this is the most rewarding and influential team she’s been involved in throughout her four-year career at Gustavus.
“This is the most talented and deepest Gustavus softball team. They are talented, passionate individuals who are determined to succeed. On top of being incredible athletes, they also like to have a lot of fun. We manage to be the goofiest and one of the most talented teams in the MIAC, all at the same time,” Dahl said.
Through their ups and downs, this year’s softball team has been known for working through unexpected challenges. After the team recently lost one of their key pitchers to a back injury, Klass said they had to find a way to face the challenge head-on.
“Softball is a game of failure, but our ability to pick each other up is what makes our team successful,” Dahl said.
According to Klass, they’ve been able to pick each other up and overcome those challenges.
“We have had to step up both our defense and offensive to help our pitchers out,” Klass said.
Klass credited the entire team with being flexible in their positions on the field.
“We are an extremely deep team. It has been proven again and again throughout the season that many different players can play at any given time,” Klass said.
Heacox said that it’s their passion for the game that has made this season the most enjoyable.
“Everyone works so hard and many people go and do extra things outside of practice time to work on their skills, such as hitting, for example. Everyone steps up their game every time we hit the field whether that be in practice or a game. We are a family,” Heacox said.
The women’s softball team is hoping their ‘We Before Me’ attitude will help them bring home the MIAC trophy and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament on May 3.