Sweeping into the 2018 season with a 14-4 win against Minico, the softball team is setting their goals high and working hard to achieve them. The team had a bit of trouble early in the season with snow on their field, but with the snow cleared, they’re ready to play.
“I’m expecting to go to State,” Rylie Moore (12), the team’s catcher, said. “Pokey lost a lot of seniors, and they were one of the hardest teams in the District.”
Blackfoot will be hosting the State tournament this year, so the girls are hoping to qualify and play on their home field. Though the team has lost a lot of power hitters, they hope they will be able to make up for that loss with the speed gained in their short game.
“It’s not just one varsity team,” Tiara Menefee (12) said. “In the past, it’s been two separate teams, but this year we’re just Bronco softball.”
The team is striving for more unity between JV and Varsity this year. Some of the girls, including Maggie Hepworth (10), are even playing for both teams.
“Both teams are equal. No one is more important than another,” Coach Jeff Dalley said. “We have secret sisters that we do something nice for every week, and we have a goal to do a lot of team bonding activities. We will all be better if we spend time bringing each other up and getting to know each other.”
“This year, there’s a lot more team unity. I like what we’ve been doing,” Moore said. “It’s going to help the program a lot more. This team that we have is a team, not a group of individuals.”
This weekend, the team will be traveling to Boise for a highly competitive tournament. To enter, the team had to meet a number of requirements parallel to State.
Hopefully, the girls are well on their way to State and a more unified team.