There’s nothing like the bond between the Parkway South varsity softball team. What was once just a bunch of girls has now turned into a close tight-knit family. These girls have had an amazing season. They won the Hillsboro Tournament and ended with  a 17-9 record. Many wonder what changed or what happened to make these girls have such an amazing season. 

Senior McKenna Birkenholtz commented on changes the Patriots made to have such an amazing season. 

“I think everyone got a lot closer this year. We are all in it together and want to win, not only for ourselves, but for each other,” she said.

Senior Hilary Jumps also talked about what changes they made as a team to make the difference from last year. 

“This year we have focused more on encouraging and uplifting each other. Also, we have been doing lots of team bonding like dinners and team hangouts,” senior Hilary Jumps said.

Birkenholtz said she thought this year’s team truly became a family.

“I just feel like I care about them all so much. I want them to all be successful on and off the field, in softball, and in the real world,” she said. 

Everyone loves playing their sport on their home field, and the softball team was no exception. However, this year the Patriots only got to play 6 home games. Even without the “home-field” advantage, the team overcame and still came out with a winning season. They both agreed that the Chesterfield softball fields were the second favorite place to play at. 

Something important to this team is their younger classmates. The seniors of the team do their best to support and include the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. The underclassmen have been showing up and proving their varsity spot. Sophomore Natalie Brody is on varsity for her second year. This year she held the team season record for the most home runs with 4. 

“Last year I wasn’t the best at hitting, so I am proud of myself for all the practicing I did to be able to hold the record this year,” she said. 

Speaking of records, junior pitcher Madison Sherry has made an amazing season for the team. This year she set a Parkway South record with 19 strikeouts in one game against Desoto. Beating them 9-0, she had an amazing game along with an amazing season. 

Before each game, the girls have their pre-game ritual. This helps put them all in the right headspace to go play their best. Coach Ron Ramspott let them choose their word of the season. The girls chose the word “encourage” for the season. They put a sign in their dugout with the word on it. Before games, each player runs, jumps, and taps the word to encourage themselves and the team for the game. The team also sits in a circle with their arms crossed and holding each other’s hands. The call is the “squeeze circle” when you feel a squeeze in one hand you squeeze. other. This makes each player included and motivated for the game. Creating an encouraging environment for each player makes them closer. Getting into the right headspace and using pre-game rituals makes for a great season!

Natalie Brody discussed the end of their season by saying, “I think we had a great season! We are all one big happy family!”