Young but mighty, freshman player Greta Miller goes up to bat on the softball field. Alongside seven other freshmen and a new head coach, the program has reinvented itself as many different faces from last year fill the roster. With head coach Kelly Latendresse pioneering the group, Miller shared that her agenda includes building community and improving the field both literally and in players’ mindset.
“I would say that the coaching style is very diligent,” Miller said. “She makes us run even for small mistakes like negative comments because she knows it affects the whole team performance, not just the individual. But they (the coaches) also build us up and bring us together over team dinners and fun practices.”
Improvement started this season with emphasis on the landscape, as the softball team organized a cleanup day to make necessary repairs. Latendresse then acquired new equipment for the team that she explained will benefit their skills.
Sophomore player Maryn Dean shared that the day turned out as both a field and team bonding contribution.
“During the cleanup day, we got to know some of the freshman girls and some of the seniors who were new this year,” Dean said. “It brought the team closer and now the field is in much better condition.”
According to Dean, Latendresse does not hold their season record as the primary focus. Rather, the girls learn to be better players on and off the field by cultivating sportsmanship and friendships.
“She has improved the team tremendously when it comes to mindset,” junior Mary Aguilera said. “We go into games wanting to win and not just automatically assuming we’re gonna lose even if we have before.”
The team was able to divide into a varsity and junior varsity team thanks to increased participation, while in the past they only had enough girls for a single team. Dean expressed that this has resulted in a rise of new leaders.
“There’s a lot more girls trying to be leaders on the team than there were last year because it seemed that people didn’t care as much and there were much less of us,” Dean said. “People are being more involved in trying to help the team out, and I think that’s what’s helping transform the girls’ effort into prosperity during games.”
