Baseball is not the only sport that plays under the bright lights on the diamond. The oft-neglected Millbrook softball team has been on an ascent for the past few years, even without the hype that some of the other sports receive. Softball players and coaches have big expectations for this year, and for years to come.

 Last season was a rebuilding year for the softball team; many of their top players from their playoff run in the spring of 2016 were seniors. Despite the youth of the team, Coach Bunting and Coach Blough were able to guide them to an 9-11 record, 8-6 in the conference. It is that conference record that has players on the team confident about their conference aspects this year. Senior Josie Murray said, “We learned last year that we could compete with higher ranked teams, and that’s built our self-confidence to the point that we believe we will win the conference championship this year.” This sentiment was mirrored by Senior Nia Wilson, a core member of the returning nucleus, who said, “Our goal is to win the conference championship.” This goal is certainly attainable, and despite losing one of their coaches, Mr. Bunting, the team replaced him with Coach Saby. Combined with the promotion of former Assistant Coach Blough, the team should not miss a beat.

 Although the plan is to see some hardware at the end of the season, that is not the only thing that the seniors are preparing for. Nia Wilson said, “We have to make sure that the underclassmen are ready for their time when we leave next year.” With this in mind, the softball team has built a positive breeding environment, filled with hard work and competition. She continued, “I love my teammates; they are all wonderful ladies. We all work hard, and we compete with each other all the time. Even if we don’t know it.” Newcomers to the program are also welcomed with open arms, and everyone is treated the same regardless of how long they have been there. This is a statement repeated by Josie Murray, who said, “[The team] treated me like I had never left. I was cut from the team my junior year, but I came out to every practice and every game anyway because the girls on the team treated me like family, and that says a lot about the support system here.” Whether an athlete is a four-time all-conference member, or someone picking up a bat for the first time, the girls on the softball team will support them equally. This is what makes the softball sisterhood so special, and the bond between the players is unmatched in most other sports. That is their greatest asset, and they will go as far as that sisterhood takes them.

 The softball team is tired of the lack of interest onto their program. They want as many people as possible to go to their games this year, as they plan to put on a show. The goal this year is a conference championship, and if there is anything that needs to be known about a Millbrook sport, it is that a conference championship is just the beginning.