Freshman infielder Madison Watson prepares to swing at the ball. She was one of nine freshman recruited by the softball team during the offseason. Nikisun Shrestha/The Lion's Roar
The Lady Lions softball team wrapped up their fall schedule of exhibition games with a 10-2 win over East Central Community College and a 13-0 victory over Coastal Alabama Southern Community College over the weekend.
Head Coach Rick Fremin gave his assessment of the eight exhibition games.
“We finished the fall with our eight games 7-0-1,” said Fremin. “So seven wins, no losses and one tie. I’m very pleased with the offensive production and thought we did a great job of cutting down the errors and handling the ball really well throughout the fall. Our pitching staff has done a great job under new assistant Brooke Boening in following her lead and her direction, so things are really coming together in all areas.”
During the offseason, the team recruited new players to help raise the program’s level.
“There are 10 new players,” said Fremin. “Two junior college transfers and eight freshmen that are here now. They’ve all contributed in a great way. They’re doing really well filling some gaps and holes, and a lot of them did really well this fall. So, the newcomers have definitely helped raise the level of our play within our program.”
Fremin had the chance to test the new Lady Lions over the fall schedule. He thinks the recruits, with the help of senior players, are starting to settle into the team.
“The new recruits that are here now have done a great job with being open to feedback from our upperclassmen,” said Fremin. “We’ve tried to make it a point to our juniors and seniors to coach the freshmen and sophomores as much as possible. The faster they do that, they communicate, the faster the team’s gonna improve. Typically, a young player takes a year to get acclimated to this level, and our goal was to do it in a semester so that they’re ready to go in the spring season.”
The spring season will be the last for nine players in the roster. Fremin described the role the senior players have in the team.
“I think there are nine seniors that we have on this year’s team,” said Fremin. “They’ve done a great job with their leadership. They’ve really contributed in community service, fundraising and just trying to set an example for the younger players, and I look forward to allowing them to lead our team in the spring. And they’re gonna be greatly missed just because of their leadership.”
Fremin explained the progress of the team during his time coaching. He also shared his expectations for the spring season.
“Well, year one we finished 12th in the conference,” said Fremin. “Last year, we moved up six spots and finished sixth of eligible teams, and this year I feel the team is better. I feel that we can continue to climb the ladder and do what we need to do to win the conference in the regular season and then also to get into the conference tournament.”
The team will resume their action on Feb. 9 as they host the 2018 Lion Classic I.
Senior outfielder Maddie Edmonston takes a diving catch in the outfield while playing against East Central Community College on Friday, Oct. 20. Nikisun Shrestha/The Lion's Roar
