Bunting, base running, catching, ground balls, and pop flies await the Girl’s Softball team as they work hard for the upcoming season. Though the team is too small to have conventional tryouts, they look at the positives of a small team—and with a new head coach, they hope that this will be their best season yet. 

“I think that softball is a less popular sport because not everyone even knows that our school has a team,” Eve Paris (‘23), captain of the Girls’ Softball team, explained. Eve said that the Girl’s Softball team has always had less participation than the other spring sports, but she was not concerned at all about the small team. Sydney Mafong (‘26) explains, “My only concern about the small team is that we need to have nine players per game, and I’m pretty sure we only have 15 on the roster. 

Sydney explained that another reason why the softball team has less participation is because of the difficulty and complexity of the sport. Coach Joey Moreno, head coach of the Girl’s softball team, explained, “Softball is a very quick and dynamic game… There is a lot of strategy and game planning that goes into every game and practice.” Sydney added that softball can be scary, with a ball flying 60 mph at you (or more!), and explains how there are so many aspects of the game. “Softball is such a difficult sport and requires so much hard work, so when you get success in a game, it’s one of my favorite feelings,” She smiled as she spoke. Eve added that the sport can be super competitive, but she loves how “everyone on the team still has each other’s backs.” 

While having fewer members of the team can be worrying when it comes to having enough players for games, being a small group has its positives. “It is so cool to have a close-knit community where we can spend a lot of time together and connect in and out of practices/games,” Eve said. Sydney agreed, saying, “We’ll get to know each other super well and I’m hoping we’ll grow super tight by the end of the season.” 

Eve, a member of the team for four years, said her favorite memories happen both on and off the field, as she looks back to previous years and said, “We love getting outside of practice to get ice cream, or go swimming, or even just jamming out on the way to games. It’s never dull with this team and that keeps me coming back every year for another season.” This is the team’s second week of practice, but Coach Joey already says, “I enjoy being around all of the girls. Every one of them brings their own unique and fun personality to the team which makes every day fun and exciting.” Eve said, “I still have so much to learn about softball but I’m excited to play with such cool people while I take those steps.” Sydney agreed, saying how this team is such a fun group, and she is so excited to learn from them. 

With a new head coach, the softball team is looking forward to its upcoming season. “I’m super excited about seeing Coach Joey take on a bigger role this season…I have no doubts that he will do a great job leading us while making the season super fun,” Eve explained. Coach Joey has been coaching softball for seven seasons now, and wanted to “manage the team and make it [his] own.” With the last league championship win being four years ago, the softball team has a strong desire to win a League championship and a CIF championship, but Coach Joey wants to also make sure that everyone on the team has fun while improving their level of play throughout the season. 

Sydney reflected on her goals, and laughed, “My goals are to improve my knowledge of the game and be confident playing against older players…I’ve never pitched against or hit off of 18-year-olds and it’s pretty intimidating to think about. And of course, have fun and get to know the team super well!” Eve also considered her goals for the upcoming season: “My biggest goal for this season is to maybe hit the ball a couple of times. We all have to start somewhere.” While all three have different goals, Eve explained that they all want to succeed, and said that they “have shared goals that are so fun to work towards together.” 

 “We take all our losses together and we take all our wins together,” Eve said. Sydney added, “Screaming my lungs out while cheering for my teammates is something that cannot be beaten.” The softball team always has each other’s backs, and despite the smaller team, they are determined to win and are so excited about the upcoming season. Sydney smiled, “This is going to be such a great season for all of us, whether we’re a returning player, new to the sport, or new to the Bishop’s team…so come out and watch our home games!”