Swinging into the new season, the Sierra Pacific softball team is ready to hit it out of the park with determination and team spirit. Varsity earned their first win of the season Feb. 29 against Dinuba High, with a score of 12-3. The Lady Bears are bound to do some damage this season with their record-breaking players and motivating force for the game.
Discussing recent events, The Lady Bears set to play the Immanuel Eagles March 19. The Varsity team record stands at 1-7 and the JV record is 4-2. This seems to be a tough matchup due to both the teams being great at what they do. The two challengers are facing each other at 6:30 p.m. at Immanuel High School Located in Reedley. Varsity will continue to fight this season to improve their record.
What makes this program so special and different from all the other programs at Sierra Pacific is their overall chemistry and trust they have for one another. This can be seen in games, during plays, working as a team. Practices do not discriminate in difficulty either, as running seems to be a staple. No matter if a player is on Varsity or Jv, the training and effort doesn’t let up.
“JV’s performance this year has been amazing. Offensively we have done great and are becoming smarter and smarter on the bases. Defensively we are learning how to communicate with each other which is creating a healthy environment for the team,”
said Short-stop, Hazelynn Davalos, who is a part of Sierra Pacific’s Jv softball team. This program strives to make the best out of all their players individually, which inturn makes a powerful, effective team.
Introducing some faces, senior varsity player Kennedy Usher sticks out the most as she leads the team in almost all statistics in the past 8 games. For instance, Usher’s batting average is .393 and her on base percentage is .433. She also dominates in stolen bases, fielding percentage, runs, hits, runs batted in and slugging percentage. What makes this University of Colorado, Colorado Springs commit so special was her positive impact on the team the 4 years she was on varsity.
Following Usher, sophomore varsity player Brooklyn Webb also shines on this team. Webb’s attitude, skills and overall experience with this game makes her the perfect prospect.
Within this program though, there have been some troubles.
`“Some challenges we have faced as a team are playing difficult teams and not having confidence,” says freshman Jv player Brooklyn Marmaduke. Confidence, like any other feeling, can be hard to attain and achieve, especially in sports. Marmaduke has continued to show it throughout her matches, with her strong throws from base to base. The varsity team continues to prove their competitiveness, by being neck and neck in almost every match. The Lady Bears are set to play Central Valley Christian next at home April 12. 2024 and pursue to win to continue into the upcoming playoffs.
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