The girls varsity softball team went out with a bang right before spring break in their game Wednesday, Mar 11. The girls won against Mount Dora High School by a score of 4-1 which ended a four game losing streak.
They dialed in their game mentality to secure a win on the board.
“I think the reason for such a long losing streak is because we were having a lot of trouble up at the plate and we were not being aggressive enough,” freshman Emma Vreuls said.
Mentality is a huge factor in their four losses. Despite that, the team is practicing hard to turn their losing streak into a winning streak.
“We hang out outside of school and try to stay together to secure our team bond as well as put in hard work in practice,” sophomore Wyntre Callaway said. “We also want to have a better attitude. We broke our losing streak by coming in more hyped and prepared.”
Freshman Peyton Clark confirms the value of team bonding in their work toward a winning streak.
“I think that now that we’re deeper in the season we’ve been able to come together more and find more chemistry on the field. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and our coach has been able to learn more about us too,” Clark said.
Being new this year, varsity coach Megan Morley has had to learn more about the players and how the team runs. As things have started to click, the team has been improving and coming together as a family rather than just a team.
Supporting your team is one of the most important things in any sport. Keeping a good mentality and cheering on your team can help you keep consistent wins. Peyton Clark is a perfect example of this. Despite injuring her foot, she still goes to games and practices to be there for her team.
“I love being their little cheerleader,” Clark said.
The girls even show support to other teams as well. After Kennedy Jackson, a player on the Winter Springs Softball team, passed away, the Oviedo softball team put purple ribbons in their hair and purple butterflies with Jackson’s jersey number 22 on their helmets as a memorial for her. They also made gift baskets for their opponents in a preseason game against Deland with cards and nice messages and mental health goodies to raise awareness for other students that may be struggling.
They are hoping to continue to stay aggressive and look clean on the field.
“The catchers are working behind the plate, pitchers are working on mentality and speed and fielders are focusing on being smooth and confident,” Vreuls said.
They are using what they’ve learned from their losing streak tonight in their game against Cornerstone Charter Academy in hopes of getting another strong win for the books.
