.png)
The Comet Softball team are midway through their softball season, but they still have a long stretch of games in front of them.
Head coach of the Olivet College softball team, Darrick Brown, still has high expectations for the team, as he is in his second season. Brown has kept his mantra of “building a winning program which will contend for a conference and national championship.” So far this season, the team has a record of 8-10, with no games played against MIAA conference opponents. They have played in two events outside of Michigan.
The first stretch of games that Olivet played were at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Cary, North Carolina. Olivet competed in six games on the weekend of February 24-26. On Friday, they were shut out against William Peace (North Carolina) 5-0. The next game played that following day resulted in a 9-8 win against N.C. Wesleyan. The next two days didn’t end well for the Comets, as they were defeated by Piedmont (Georgia), Averett (Virginia), Salisbury (Maryland), and Greensboro (North Carolina).
Olivet’s second southern trip was to Clermont and Leesburg in Florida. The Comets won seven of the ten games they had in the Spring tournament, which was held during spring break from March 11-16. They couldn’t pull out a win in their first two games on Saturday March 11, however, they bounced back to win four straight on Sunday and Tuesday. They defeated Macalester (Minnesota), Bethany (West Virginia), Wisconsin River Falls, and Westfield State (Massachusetts).
After an 8-4 loss to Western Connecticut State on Wednesday, Olivet strung together a three-game win streak. They closed out Wednesday with a win over Lancaster Bible (Pennsylvania), then the team had victories over Norwich (Vermont) and Bethel (Minnesota) on Thursday. The Comets finished their Florida event with 7 home runs and 38 runs batted in.
Senior Carrie Chamberlain said that “being exposed to the outdoor environment before conference play really helps us. It lets us get a feel for the dirt and the game. Also, the trip helped us to become more of a team and learn to work together in actual games. Overall it was a great learning experience for us.”
Senior Taylor Smith was happy with the way they played in Florida. “I believe out team’s wins can be attributed to the amount of fun we were having. It was a team effort from everyone, we picked each other up and had each other’s backs when we needed to. I truly believe we have a very talented team when we loosen up and play with good energy,” said Smith.
Chamberlain also said she is ready for the rest of the softball team’s season. “I’m most excited to see us grow as a team. We have a lot of potential and a lot of talent. I’m excited to see all of us come together and be the best team we can really be,” said Chamberlain.
Smith commented on her anticipation as well. “I’m excited for us to continue growing as a team and as a family because that’s what really makes a team a team; a championship team at that,” Smith said.Olivet will go into April with a four game homestand, the first double header coming on Saturday April 1 against North Park (Illinois). The first game against the Vikings will be at 1 p.m. They continue their conference play with the next double header against the Trine Thunder on April 4. The first game of this matchup will be at 3:30 p.m. The Comets then will travel to Alma to take on the Scots on April 8.
For the full schedule, roster, and news, go to olivetcomets.com.