Ranked sixth overall in the IAAM A conference, winning four out of seven games overall, and having a close team bond, you would think that the women’s varsity softball team is no stranger to success. However, in past seasons, home-runs and strikeouts were the least of the team’s concerns.

According to head coach Jack Westermeyer, at one point the team had only nine players, the minimum number of players needed to field a team.

“We had three injuries and got down to only nine players,” Westermeyer said. “And we couldn’t take any players from JV because then they wouldn’t have a team either. We had to work with what we had.”

The players had little choice: they could recruit more players or risk losing the team.

“I [worked] with my teammates just trying to encourage my friends to come out and try to play,” senior right fielder Emily Meyerl said. “During freshman year I got my friend Grayce Moran to try out and play even though she had never played softball before, and she still plays to this day.”

Originally joining as manager, Moran decided to join the team as an outfielder after numerous injuries took away several players on the team. Since then, Moran has played as an outfielder, hitter, and now plays third base.

“I wasn’t very good but they needed players,” senior and varsity outfielder Grayce Moran said. “I decided that I would play until the injured people returned, which has ended up being the whole season.”

The team has won twice as many games as it did last year, and after going to Myrtle Beach over spring break, “there was a lot of team building, we had a really great time,” Westermeyer said.

While the team is seeing more success, some players still expect more in future seasons.

“We have improved immensely in our skills and attitudes over the years,” Meyerl said. “but as a program we seem stuck in the lower end of the IAAM A Conference.”

“We’ve been very competitive this year,” Westermeyer said. “But of course I want us to do better. I’m sure next year will be just as good, if not better.”

Billy Jump is an In-Depth Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.