ULM softball won its first game with a score of 23-4 on Friday as it hosted Arkansas Monticello. The two teams played nine innings, taking a break between the fifth and sixth.
Despite the regular season being almost four months away, games like these provide the team with valuable opportunities for growth and improvement.
Senior catcher and first baseman Madison Blount explained that out-of-season matches help her and the team grow as a family.
“Without the fall, you don’t really mesh on the field,” Blount said. “It gives us an opportunity to build a bond on the field as well as off the field.”
Waiting an entire semester before the season comes around can be daunting, especially for newcomers. Fifth-year infielder Jaelyn Buck said that the freshmen benefit the most from these games because they show how D1 softball is played.
“It helps the freshmen to get the butterflies out a little bit, and it helps them learn about themselves and how college ball is quicker and more upbeat,” Buck said.
Another learning curve for the team has been progress. Improvement takes time to happen, and sometimes success is not linear. The upperclassmen have been coaching the younger players on how to deal with setbacks and adversity.
“It’s pretty tough,” Blount said. “But it’s like we always say, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’ It takes a while to get there, but once we get there, we’re hot.”
Some players are already pointing out huge takeaways from the fall game. Buck noted the level of play at bat is something to keep an eye on in the spring.
“Some positives are our hitting. It’s on fire,” Buck said. “We have a new hitting coach, coach Daniel, and he’s awesome. He wants us to hit the ball hard. He wants us to hit the ball far, and I think it really showed today.”
