Softball hits the gym

This week, the Lyndon State softball team took the first steps of an exciting season. 

Tryouts mark the beginning of the team's journey toward what they hope to be a successful year.  With snow covering the hills of Lyndon, the team refreshes their skills in the Stannard Gymnasium.  This will be their practice facility until the blanket of snow unveils their home, Skip Pound Field.

Once the roster is cut to 15 players, the team must prepare for the road ahead.  Practices are held at 6 a.m., and the team also has frequent night practices.  This creates a difficult balance of education and athletics for the players.  Coach Jen Layne emphasized the importance class attendance in the time before games begin. 

The team takes their preseason schedule to an indoor facility in the Adirondacks before the season gets underway.  This trip will consist of six games for the team to hone their skills.  This is also a chance for some of the team's newcomers to get a feel for college softball.

The regular season starts on March 19 and stretches until April 23.  In this time the team will play over 30 games, each day being a doubleheader.  It is definitely safe to say that a day off won't be taken for granted. Coach Layn takes the reigns on her fifth season as head coach.  When asked about the early expectations for the team, she had nothing but good things to say.

 "They are very motivated and want to win," said Layn.  "We have a very young and skilled group this year."  The team plans to keep it simple this season and work on toning fundamentals.

"We want to improve the little things," said junior captain Natalia Shams.  With a group of key returners, and a lot of new talent, the team seems to feel that they are looking much stronger than previous seasons.

All they need now is a little warm weather, some green grass, and they can begin their quest for a successful season.  The team's first scheduled home game is Wednesday, April 6, against in-state rival Castleton.