After being named conference championship favorites following a dominant preseason run, the Lady Bison Softball team looks to carry that momentum into the regular season.
At the conclusion of the last official outing from the Howard softball team, they were holding the Mid-East Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship trophy after a win against the Morgan State Bears. This year, they hope to convert that momentum into a possible back-to-back championship effort.
One of the main changes from their championship roster is the team’s newly found influx of youth, having eleven freshmen rostered. That young roster proved to be adequate enough to get the job done during the preseason as they helped the team total 118 points.
One of these young players is Kelsie Jarrett, a utility player from Nashville, Tennessee. Jarrett spoke on how the team’s preseason crowning affects the team’s confidence going forward into regular season play.
“Honestly my confidence comes less from being preseason favorites and more from the work and progression I’ve seen this team have.”
It takes a lot of work to transition from high school to college level sports and Jarrett described the off-season preparation as “intense and fast paced” but believes that she has been prepared well for the season, saying, “Our preparation is preparing us for the pace of game we need to play to be successful this season.”
Outside of the young players, the Lady Bison are also bringing back great experience in the form of first-team All-MEAC infielder Kalita Dennis. Dennis was named Preseason Player of the Year and will look to bring forth experience to this young team. Last year, Dennis led the team in both home runs with 10 total and runs batted in (RBI) with 48, all while having a .361 batting average.
When asked what the team can do to repeat their championship run this season, Dennis told The Hilltop, “To get to that point we need to become an egoless, teammate oriented, respectful program with the inevitable goal of becoming better women.”
Copy edited by Chanice McClover-Lee
