Ward Sutlive, Campus Carrier sports editor
Berry’s softball team had no idea that their scrimmage on Saturday would be canceled due to cold temperatures. With an upcoming game against Maryville College fast approaching, many players wondered how they would prepare for the match. However, Meredith Mills, the team’s coach, had a contingency plan in place in case something like this occurred. Her solution was an intrasquad event, where a team splits into groups that play against each other. Mills is very confident that this intrasquad event will be beneficial to her team and that it is a suitable substitute for the scrimmage.
“The intrasquads are really important,” Mills said. “Even though we’re competing against each other, it’s very healthy competition.”
The main purpose of the intrasquad event is to prepare the team for their game against Maryville College, which will take place on Feb. 14, at 1 p.m. on Kay Williams Field. It will be the team’s first official game of the season. Rebecca Murray, the assistant coach of the team, is optimistic about the upcoming game.
“I think we have a lot of experience this year, and I’m really excited to see it come together,” Murray said.
According to Mills, intrasquad events are not the only way that the team is preparing for the Maryville game. Assistant coach Murray does multiple individual workouts with the players to help them improve their offensive skills. The individual workouts are scattered in order to accommodate the player’s school schedules. What the team covers in a practice varies. Sometimes they focus on defense, while in other instances they focus on hitting. During the practices that focus on offense, the team relies on a machine that can fire the ball at high speeds. Mills takes these practices very seriously.
“It’s all about repetition for us,” Mills said.
The softball team has seen several members return this year. According to Murray, these returning players will be a great help to the team. This is mainly because the team saw an influx of freshman the previous year, who all had a lot to learn and were learning to bounce back quickly from mistakes. This season, Murray believes that the players now have a lot of previous experience to draw from and can use what they learned to their best of their abilities.
“We’re in a really good place as far as experience and growth,” Murray said. “And I’m excited to see how we continue to grow throughout the season.”
According to Mills, a typical season for the team can be very rigorous because they play a lot of games in a short period of time. Nevertheless, Mills believes that her team can pull through.
“We just need to remain steady with one another,” Mills said.
There are several players to watch out for this season, according to Murray. One of these is senior Elly Bennet, who plays centerfield for the team. Having joined her sophomore year, Bennet has had a lot of experience with team. For the past two years, she has participated in both the regionals and the super regionals—the second round of the softball championship games—in Huntingdon, Ala. According to Bennet, some of her greatest strengths include her experience and motivation skills. “I think I just have the presence of being experienced to help some of our girls that aren’t as experienced,” Bennet said.
For Mills, one of the most notable things about the team dynamic is the great sense of camaraderie the players have with one another. One example of this is the pride that the team takes in their dugout. The players have a lot of different props there in order to brighten the space up. The props have included interesting hats, a bubble machine and a piñata over the years. Mills also commends her team for the great sportsmanship they showcase during games, some of which is showcased through their cheers.
“If you listen to our cheers, it’s never about the opposing team,” Mills said. “It’s always catered towards our team and our girls so we don’t cheer against the team that we’re playing.”
The team will attempt to hold another scrimmage this Saturday in order to prepare for the upcoming game. The players are eager for the match and intend to give it everything they have. According to Bennet, regardless of what happens, she’s been impressed with the team’s overall growth.
“It’s been a rewarding process, being able to see our freshmen get comfortable in their own skin,” Bennet said.