Softball Players Claim Sisterhood to Be a Grand Slam

By attending even one game, the audience could sense the love and teamwork the Platteview Softball Girls exude. The traditions they shared before each game and after practices allowed the team to come closer together and bond. The season may be over, but the team never lost sight of what really matters when it comes to the sport: to support each other on and off the field.

Home or away, Junior Emma Lewis described how the girls huddle in prayer on the diamond before each game. “[One] tradition [we had] before a game was to get in a circle with our gloves in the middle, cross arms, and lock fingers with the people on the side of you and then pray,” Lewis said. This relieved some of the nerves the girls may have had. It also prepared them for the outcome of the game. “[One time when] we played Waverly, the first hit went to left field where I robbed my second home run, and when I got off the ground all of my team was laughing and cheering. We [ended up] losing that game, but it was still really fun to play we never gave up,” Lewis said. 

Kaitlyn Stehlik, a four year senior on the softball team, stated another way the team bonded. “We had team dinners every Wednesday.” By eating dinner together every weekly after practices, the team became closer and relied on each other through all aspects of the game. Stehlik continued, “They were a good memory because it was always after practice and we would all sit together, talk and just hang out. And we got a chance to become closer.”

The end result offered “a very close bond with everyone on the team, both JV and Varsity,” Senior Bailey Theel said. The team dinners, game day traditions, and bus rides to away games made the connection between all the girls that much stronger. “We are all just really good friends, so we are all still close whether on the field or in the classroom.” The Platteview Softball Team plays every fall and, while some of the seniors will be on their way, the team will always remain a family.