We are inching closer to the first pitch for the softball team as this spring will bring on a bunch of new faces and excitement for the Cougars.
One of those new faces is Brianna Brooks, a freshman catcher. She is looking to be a big part of a culture change this year.
“Our strength of this team, compared to other teams, is our family [and] culture. Coming into Averett, I was told we were rebuilding the culture here,” Brooks said. “I feel like after a semester, we are all getting so close, and I can truly say these girls are family. We work well together, communicating on and off the field.”
With a rebuilding culture comes much hard work, something this team embraces.
“In the off-season, we all made sure to stay in the weight room to stay strong. We all have grown tremendously in the weight room and continue each week to get stronger and stronger,” Ally Testerman, a sophomore outfielder, said. “We all worked to keep our craft up to the best of our abilities, and continue to work every day at practice to get where we want to be. I think this team is very well prepared for this season. We have a much smaller team, but we all work really well together and push each other day in and day out to reach our goals and get better.”
High team expectations also come with personal goals and being committed to excellence. A point of emphasis for Madi Akers, a sophomore outfielder.
“Some of my personal goals for this upcoming season is to be the best teammate I can for my team and always hold myself to a high standard of getting better every day,” Akers said.
The new faces are not just limited to the field, in the dugout first year coach Anna Coleman wants her team to play with joy.
“I think for the first season, she wants us to enjoy the game. She also talks about the word joy,” Brooks said. “Coach Coleman is very good at what she does, and I think she will really impact our team in a great way. We have already gotten better just by the two weeks we have practiced so far.”
The Cougars will open their season on February 16th at home for a doubleheader versus Salem College at noon.
