The St. Joe’s softball team’s high hopes for their spring 2020 season were crushed when it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Assistant Coach Gina McCool.
“It was so unfortunate when [our season] got cut short last year,” McCool said. “We were just scratching the surface on what the potential of this group could really be.”
But according to senior outfielder Kirstin Cox, with the team’s return to campus and training, they look forward to the opportunity to build off of last year’s excitement.
“Last year we missed out on a really good season,” Cox said. “But now we’re all going to have another year under our belts, and it’s been building up so much that I think this season will be so much better than any other one.”
While the student-athletes are thrilled to return to training, the team must follow similar requirements as other athletic teams, including practicing in pods and frequently wiping down equipment.
Cox highlighted the great work of her coaches by scheduling practices to make sure there is never mixing of pods.
“The scheduling is so hard for [the coaches] because it’s not just one time, they have to figure out when each pod is going to get there,” Cox said. “So they’re doing a really good job keeping us engaged and separate.”
Although effective in limiting the spread of disease, for both McCool and the student-athletes, the most debilitating aspect of these pods is preventing the team from building chemistry.
“Maintaining a connection within the team is hard because you’re only with the same four people,” said sophomore infielder Jessica Gaughan. “I’m used to seeing the whole team and so it’s just very different in that sense.”
McCool said she understands how crucial relationships can be to the development of a team over the course of a season.
“We’ve done a decent job of keeping the pods separate,” McCool said. “But that instinctual desire to be around each other is always what you want for a team environment, that’s been the hardest thing for both the student-athletes and myself.”
On top of that, Cox mentioned how, with all of these guidelines in place, the team hasn’t even had an opportunity to meet the new freshmen on the team.
“It’s tough not knowing the freshmen and not getting to talk to them as much,” Cox said. “We were really supposed to help them get acclimated on campus and we couldn’t do that.”
In spite of the limited training that the team can do, Cox also said that much of the squad has taken it upon themselves to practice individually.
“We’re only allowed an hour and a half with the coaches right now,” Cox said. “With all this extra time, a lot of people are working on their own too because we get reduced time with the coaches and strength staff.”
According to McCool, despite these challenges, the team’s focus has not wavered and their mindset is on preparing to return to the softball diamond.
“It’s been a long six months since our season was canceled,” McCool said. “So, there is certainly focus and they’re ready to get to work with our common goals all at the forefront of their minds.”
For Gaughan, the team’s ultimate goal is obvious.
“We’re looking to win an A-10 Championship.” Gaughan said. “Last year we felt like we had a big shot, and now this year we feel like it’s even bigger.”
While there is currently no concrete start date for spring sports, confidence is strong within the team, and the overall enjoyment of just being back on campus with the opportunity to play is what is most important right now.
“I’m excited to see how we really get through this together and ultimately come out [on] the other side, it’s just been a pleasure really to be around each other,” McCool said. “Coming to practice or to lifts and conditioning is an opportunity to be around the people we really care about, and that’s very much needed right now.”
