Softball dominates Lobos in weekend games

The softball team is closer to retrieving its goal of making it to the ASC tournament. At the moment, the women are 14-0 in conference and will go up against Texas Lutheran at home April 18-19.

With the Lady Crusaders’ most recent doubleheader games against the Sul Ross University Lobos, the women proved how strong they are.

The first game on April 11 ended with a final score of 10-0, and in the later game, the team finished with a victorious score of 12-4.

The women have positive attitudes when it comes to believing how good they are.

Junior pitcher Shea Parker, does not doubt their potential.

“Right now we are first in conference, and we will definitely make it to the ASC tournament unless we just quit playing and lose every game from here on out; but that is not going to happen,” she said.  “Things are going right. Now we should win the tournament.”

Parker leads the team as one of the pitchers. However, with all of the expectations that come with the position, she  doesn’t let anything stand in her way.

“Some of the pressures of being a pitcher are that you always have the ball for every play, and you set the pace of the team, so you have to be on your game.  When you’re not pitching your best, you still have to find the confidence and push yourself through and find a way to make your pitching work,” she said.

“One way I try to relieve the pressure is that I just remember that God loves me and is going to be there for me whether I lose or not.”

Pressures or not, the team did not have to make many transitions from last season to the present one. Senior pitcher Lindsey Liles explained how the team has changed, but how they have managed to stay the same as well.

“The biggest difference from last year is experience,” she said. “We only lost one player from last year’s team, so our advantage this year is having played together for a while and been in each situation as a team already.”

Softball is not  a walk in the park.  The sport requires long hours, teamwork, and above all, dedication. 

“We are fairly confident that we work harder than any other team in conference,” Liles said. “We practice long hours and wake up early to work out while everyone else sleeps.”

Head Coach Kacey Blomquist is confident in the Lady Cru and values the qualities that make up the team.

“I think a great team has to have a great attitude,” she said. “The players need to know and be able to accept their roles. I truly think that we have these qualities and are a great team.”

The Lady Cru has many strengths in their favor. Not losing many members from last season and working well together as a team are a couple.

Blomquist believes the team will continue to see many successes for the remainder of the season.

“I think that our team gets along on the field very well. I am very pleased with our defense and our offense,” she said. “The girls have been working very hard, and I am pleased with their performance.”