What it takes to play softball

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The Palm Harbor University High School students begin conditioning after school by completing 1000 jump ropes outside the gym.

-With a year-round schedule, softball players put in so many hours to develop and perfect their skill, and with a goal of state championship this year, PHU’s team is already back at it.

Some of the most dedicated athletes at the school are often overlooked—especially on the softball team.

While the high school softball season is technically a spring sport, players are often a part of a travel ball team that plays over the summer and into the fall and attend high school conditioning practices after school. It is at these practices that the team gets in shape for the upcoming season.

Taylor Scott, a junior on the softball team, has been a part of the team for two years and has a sister who also played. “At conditioning, we have to do 1000 jump ropes before we do anything else.  Then we go into the weight room and sometimes we run,” Scott said. “The hardest part about our schedule is getting homework done and having time to study for tests.”

The team also gets a lot of work in over the summer with travel teams and high school practices. Often times, past players come back over the summer and train.

Claire Hamilton is one of these students. She is a junior at Rollins College in Orlando and is a catcher for the Division 2 team. “I like to go back and mentor some of the incoming players for the team. I remember being a freshman and looking up to the past players that had graduated. That’s how I knew I wanted to play in college,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton played for the Krusherz travel ball team in her time in high school as well. “It was fun to be on the same team as students from other high schools and then to reunite playing against each other at high school games in the spring,” she said.

Travel softball teams often pull from multiple high schools and even other states to get the highest skilled players on the team. When the high school season comes around, many travel ball teammates compete against each other. “It gets competitive because we are all working towards the same goal, but that’s what makes us improve,” Scott said.

Sometimes with big teams in high school, drama can overshadow the work that goes into becoming successful as a team and prevent the team from improving. This is not the case with Palm Harbor.

“With so much time spent together, we are starting to get to know everyone and are really starting to come together as a team.  It feels good to work out and practice with a team you really love.  I think we can accomplish a lot this year,” Scott said.

The softball team has high expectations for this spring season. “As long as people keep working hard, I think we can win the state championship,” Scott said.