Softball plays warm up games
By Julia Bunch/ Student Publications
The softball team plays against Georgia State. The team has begun a stretch of four fall warm-up games that will conclude on Oct. 7.
By Casey Doyle
Contributing Writer
Last year, the Tech softball team ended their season on top. They placed second in the ACC Tournament and 16th overall in the nation. Their record of 54-16 established them as a force to be reckoned with.
This season, they are picking up right where they left off. Coach Sharon Perkins and her 20 players have started preparing for the coming season.
Over the weekend, they played a couple of scrimmages against local schools. Each scrimmage consisted of two consecutive games, lasting six innings.
On Saturday, the softball team faced Georgia State University and won. The next day, they went up against North Georgia College and State University and walked away with a 12-5 victory.
It is a preview of what the team expects in the upcoming season, with players and coaches hoping to create a bond that will help the team to future success.
"I'm really looking forward to the team meshing this year," said junior first baseman Whitney Haller.
There are seven new players to the team this year, so the team has focused in on the aspects of the game that may not be measured in statistics: learning to trust each other, play well together and other fundamentals that will be essential for success. The squad will try and build on these qualities that may lead to an even better season than last year.
"We are very strong offensively, with most of our home run hitters returning this year. But we have a solid defense as well. We have a lot of new pitchers and are excited about them," Perkins said.
"We are working on some new pitching, new styles, making it more multifaceted," said senior starting catcher Savannah Brown
When asked about the schedule that lies ahead, Brown, Haller and Coach Perkins all admitted that it would be tough, but that they can handle it.
"We have a tougher non-conference schedule. But that's good. It will help prepare us for our conference schedule," Perkins said.
The out-of conference schedule has numerous talented opponents lined up including Alabama, Auburn and rival Georgia.
"Out of conference, I am most looking forward to playing Alabama. They are a tough team," Haller said.
"We beat [Georgia] last year at Georgia. This year, we want to beat them here at home," Brown said.
The conference opponents could yield an equal challenge with opponents like Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Maryland. Perkins is most looking forward to the match up with the Hokies.
"[Virginia Tech] beat us last year," Perkins said.
Tech softball has set some exciting goals for this upcoming season after last year's record setting campaign.
"We want to win the ACC Tournament, go onto postseason, the Supers and then even the World Series," Perkins said.
The team continues these series of scrimmage type matches with a game against the alumni as well as Jacksonville State to close out their fall season. They begin their regular season on Feb. 9 at the Georgia State Tournament in Atlanta.
