Despite a slower 2-4 start to the season, the Triton girls’ softball team went 3-1 in conference play this past week, bringing their record to 5-5.
The Tritons traveled to Florida to begin their season, where they won their first game 11-3 but fell short in the other two.
They are currently ranked in the middle of the conference with a conference record of 4-3.
This week, they beat Bay Port 5-3 and Southwest twice, 20-1, before dropping a tough game to Manitowoc 6-8 last Thursday.
This week’s success was good for the team, but lots of work still has to be done as the season progresses.
“We have to continue to improve in all facets of the game and use the times of failure for learning opportunities and build off of that. We have a lot of season left. Hence, we will have to continue to grow rapidly,” explained Head Coach Scott Hermes.
After losing last year’s three seniors and a handful of other players, the program looks a lot different this year. With just one senior, seven juniors, five sophomores, and eight freshmen, it is a very young team.
The lone senior, Maddie Hilts, is very thankful with her time over the years.
“Senior season is bittersweet because I have to say goodbye to a sport I’ve loved for so long, but I wouldn’t trade this year for anything!” exclaimed Hilts. “I’ve made great relationships, and we’ve had great games so far, and there is more to come. I’m lucky enough to get the opportunity to be a captain, so being there to support the girls and advocate for the team has been important to me this season.”
Behind the program’s challenges hide new opportunities and growth.
This year’s freshman class is the first team of Future Tritons from the program that Hermes started to reach high school.
The player’s growth from their time on that 12U team to now has been obvious.
“We all put in a lot of hard work so far in our time in the Futures program. It has made us all better players, and the fact that some of us now have the opportunity to play on and start in the varsity lineup has been so rewarding,” explained freshman Maisie Hinz.
Hinz, Olivia Waldrop, Brynn Broekman, and Aubrey Wyckoff have been on varsity the entire season and have already been very successful.
Waldrop has two home runs and leads the conference in overall runs, while Hinz is second in the conference with 13 RBIs and third in the conference with a 0.960 slugging percentage.
Just 11 games into the season, their teammates are excited to watch their improvement from this season to the next.
“I am really looking forward to seeing our younger players grow, break out of their shells, and step into a new role on varsity,” said Junior Stella Starry.
The Tritons have all they need for success, now it is just about bringing it all together.
Hermes explained, “The softball program continues to grow as we have great support from Alumni, families, and friends. I am looking forward to great things in the not-too-distant future, as I feel the pieces are in place for success. The girls just have to trust and believe in themselves. The sky is the limit.”
