The Springfield High softball team navigated last season with just enough players.
Every game it kept hoping and hoping that nobody would get hurt with so little — if any — to spare.
“Being the only pitcher on the team, it hurt,” SHS star pitcher Mia Volpert said. “And every single girl who played a position, they were the only person in that position. If one person got hurt, the whole dynamic was thrown off."
Their numbers have swelled this season thanks to a new co-op with fellow District 186 schools Lanphier and Southeast. It bumps the program up to Class 4A, but benefits all sides.
The new reinforcements provide a welcome reprieve. The Senators not only have different options at their disposal, but less experienced players can now participate in JV games unlike last season at each of the three schools.
“For some of them, I think it was just a matter of they really wanted to play,” SHS coach Matt Koger said. “They might not have been able to play if it weren’t for the co-op. They’re getting to play, but they’re getting some success as well.”
Senior catcher/outfielder Maya Bennett, of Lanphier, said it’s exciting to be around others as competitive as she is.
Bennett, currently in the outfield, expects to return behind the plate after a wrestling injury. She may pursue wrestling in addition to softball in college.
“It’s definitely more competitive than what Lanphier was before it,” Bennett said. “We have a lot more opportunities and chances for girls who didn’t think they would play. I think having both the varsity and JV teams, it gets the JV team more experience for future years. I think that’s pretty cool.”
