Rosemary Chesney, asst. sports editor

Berry’s softball team swept Centre College last weekend with a 42-2 overall record for all three games. With eight new freshmen and two transfer players, Berry’s team is one of the youngest teams in the conference. 

Berry is currently 12-0 for conference play, and 22-8 overall. They have six regular season games remaining. The first three are this weekend against Millsaps College, and the last three are at home on Apr. 15 and 16 against Birmingham Southern College. 

According to sophomore shortstop Shelby Daniel, one of the team’s biggest srengths this season is their pitching. She also said the team is excelling with their hitting. 

“I just want us to play to the best of our abilities for the rest of the season and utilize every minute,” Daniel said. “I’m looking forward to keeping build our relationships and just having fun. I really want us to explode and do really well.” 

Last season, the team finished second in the conference. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the regional tournament play was shortened in the past two seasons. Sophomore Anna Jackson said one of the biggest differences between this season and last season is the number of new players. 

“Having those sophomores, who were a part of the team last year, step up and be leaders for the team is something we’re really good at,” Jackson said. “I’ve seen more and more sophomores and juniors step up because we have such a young team.” 

The team has faced several challenges this year, including an 18 player roster making the team smaller than most. They have had multiple injuries throughout the season including two concussions, a few with the flu and a foot injury. 

Sophomore first baseman Morgan Frye said the team chemistry and overall cohesiveness improved from last year to this year. 

“This year we are all just more cohesive and work more as one unit for one common goal,” Frye said. “Last year we were all on the same page, but didn’t have as much heart or grit as [we have] this year.” 

The team has four coaches on staff. According to Frye, Head Coach Emily Stanley works most with pitchers and infielders, while Assistant Coach Tressa Watson works most with hitters and outfielders. There are also two volunteer assistant coaches, Lindsay Campbell and Makenzie Flynt. Jackson said the assistant coaches bring a lot of energy to the dugout. 

“The volunteer coaches bring such great energy and help bring back some of the traditions and remind us of what Berry softball is all about because they were a part of the team before,” Jackson said. “Coach Stanley and Watson do a really great job at helping us focus on being positive and finding the little wins.” 

After the last six regular season games, the conference tournament will take place at the home of the first seed team. Jackson said that she is most excited to see how the team performs in the postseason. 

“I’m really looking forward to the conference tournament to see how many more sweeps we can get,” Jackson said. “I really think we’re good enough to sweep every team, and I’m excited to see how far we make it in the tournament. Our goal is always to win the national championship.”