(Atlantic) The Atlantic Softball team marched into pre-season practice with a lot of enthusiasm one week ago. Summer baseball and softball teams started pre-season camps on June 1 in preparation for the first game on June 15.
Atlantic Head Softball Coach Terry Hinzmann welcomed over thirty-players to pre-season practice. Hinzmann admits he wasn’t sure they would have season up until governor Reynolds gave schools the green light. “I put that brave face on for the girls and kept a positive attitude,” said Hinzmann. “But honestly, I wasn’t sure it was going to happen.
“We’re excited to be together again doing something that we all enjoy,” said Hinzmann. “The smiles on the girl’s faces when they pulled up for practice that first day-I think our two pitchers, (Olivia Engler and Kennedy Goergen), are still smiling. You have to understand; they’ve worked since back in November, throwing to someone sitting on a pail 43-feet away. They’re excited to throw to somebody with a helmet on.”
Meanwhile, this season for the Trojans is unprecedented for a couple of reasons. One is the delay caused by COVID-19, and the practice and game venue has changed due to the renovation project currently underway at the baseball/softball fields, forcing the Trojan squad to practice and play their home games at the Atlantic Little League complex. “It’s working out quite well,” said Hinzmann. “We’re dealing with social distancing guidelines, and here there are multiple diamonds to practice on, so we put some girls one diamond others on another. We keep the players six-feet apart as much as possible and use hand sanitizer. We take their temperatures before practice, and so far, everyone is healthy.”
Coach Hinzmann says the players returned to the field with some motivation after falling short to Kuemper, Catholic in the first round of the 2019 regional tournament. “To be honest, we didn’t end the 2019 season on a good note, and everyone knows that,” explained Hinzmann. “Hat’s off to Kuemper; they played very well. The loss left a bad taste in our mouths. The upperclassmen realize it’s not a given that we make it to the regional final every year; you have to earn it.”
The Trojans open up on the road on June 15 at Lewis Central, host Denison/Schleswig on Tuesday, June 16, and are at home against Clarinda on June 18. We will have more on the 2020 team throughout the week leading up to the first game on the 15th.
