The WS girls’ softball team was off to a rainy start in March, with several game delays and cancellations, but with a 3-8 record so far they are looking to get their bats alive to turn their rocky beginning around.

The girls have faith that they can come back from a losing record, with eight games left until the post-season. Our softball team has suffered three brutal shutouts this season against Marshall, South County and Lake Braddock, but they’re looking forward to easy wins against teams they’ve defeated previously—Annandale (15-2)  and TC Williams (7-1).

“I think this season has great potential and I have confidence that we can recover from our tough start,” said sophomore Claire Sturek.

Upcoming games against new opponents like Lee and Washington-Lee should be a good test of how the Spartans can rise above their difficult first half.

“Last season we had a lot of seniors but this year we have a pretty young team,” said sophomore Charlotte Cafferky.

With only three seniors on the 2014 team, the Lady Spartans have the ability to stick together and mold into a strong team for the upcoming years.

“The younger girls have more work ethic,” said senior captain Cassidy Taber, “and that makes us all work harder and try to play well.”

The underclassmen have the potential to shape the team into a more competitive powerhouse in the upcoming years with exceptional skill across the field.

While each player’s talent and ability is important, what really makes a team successful is its ability to form a cohesive group. The girls are able to find their rhythm with team bonding activities like outings after games to Glory Days or Sweet Frog and dinners on days they don’t have practice. Team captains Taber and senior Kate Winski boost their teammates’ self-esteems after tough losses, which bonds the girls into a team.

“Me and [Winski] try to encourage the girls to not sit on the bench when their teammates are batting and cheer them on instead,” said Taber.

Varsity softball has the potential to make this a winning season with an ample amount of talent and a close-knit group of girls. They ended last season with nine wins, eleven losses and one tie; with this in mind, they have been able to shape their goals for the 2014 season.

“We all want to play smarter, beat our record from last year and be closer as a team,” said Taber.