The softball team (13-4) plays Hickman at 5:30 p.m. today here.
Last year, the Kewpies beat the Bruins, 14-1, in the regular season, but in the districts semifinal game the Bruins won, 4-1.
Bruins softball coach Lisa Simmons said the team is not planning to change its mentality, despite the rivalry between the two schools.
“The goal for us is to not let the game get bigger than it’s supposed to be,” Simmons said. “At the end of the day, it’s another game.”
RBHS has succeeded at hitting so far, said freshman Anna Christ, who pitches and plays right field. Despite the winning record the team has gained, Christ said she has an idea of which areas the team should practice for improvement.
“We’ve been working on bunt defense, that kind of stuff, because [Hickman does] that sometimes,” Christ said, “[and] that’s one of our weaker points right now.
Pitcher and first baseman junior Ella Schouten said the team has excelled because of the display of camaraderie and resiliency the Bruins showed in previous games.
“Overall, as a team, we have learned to trust each other and to be able to pick each other up when things don’t go our way,” Schouten said. “I think that is our biggest strength at the moment because when we keep our emotions in check we are unstoppable, and our physical play shows it as well as our record.”
Because this is Simmons’ first year coaching, she said there is an adjustment the girls must make to her style, but the team has been progressing well. Simmons said she is pleased with the effort of the team so far and added she has high hopes for the rest of the season, particularly for postseason play.
“We’ve got a couple of wins under our belt, a couple of good wins. We are doing well about getting a lot of kids in the game. I’m very fortunate that I’ve got some depth in my lineup, and so we’re constantly changing things,” Simmons said. “I think that’ll pay dividends down the road because we’ll have people that have had that experience in a varsity game. . . Our depth is what’s going to help us down the road.”
How do you think the team is doing so far in its season? Let us know in the comments below.
