Three seasons ago, the
Strongsville softball team found itself in the regional final against a powerhouse Elyria program ready to make another run at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament. Though the Mustangs lost to Elyria 5-4, they learned a lot from their experience.
The freshmen on that 2007 team are the senior leaders for the team now and although they suffered a setback to the Pioneers on Monday afternoon, Mustangs coach Jeanette Howard believes her players are ready for any and all challenges that come their way in 2010.
"It ended up going eight innings, so it was a really good game," Howard said of the 2007 matchup. "There’s less pressure and we have a really good senior class. They can’t wait to jump to the finals and that’s their goal."
Another reason Howard is confident in her players is because of a recent road trip.
Instead of dealing with the unpredictable weather and risk getting games rescheduled later in the season, Howard took her players down to Orlando, Fla. during Spring Break to get them ready for a stretch run in late April and early May.
"We took the girls down because we had a lot of returning players from last year’s team," Howard said. "I wanted to take them down to get more games in earlier in the season. I thought it was a good team-bonding experience.
"We were just trying to get a jump on the season," she added. "I think it went really well. I think it was a great experience and I’d be willing to do it again with our team. It feels like we’re in the middle of the season and we’re only in the second week. We spent every day together for five straight days."
Though they traveled hundreds of miles from home and forfeited any spring vacation plans, the Mustangs returned to Cleveland with a 5-1 record. With the production they showed in Florida, Strongsville is looking forward to the remaining games on their schedule.
"It was very good competition," Howard said. "We did amazing offensively. I think that was our biggest highlight. Every game, we scored I want to say at least seven runs. It’s very important because it gives our pitchers confidence to pitch and use their other pitches and have some room to move.
"We set our goals at the highest this year and I think they know that," she added. "If we play at our highest level, we can compete with anybody in the state. Our first goal is to win our conference and from there, to move on and try to win our district, try to win our regional."
Matt Florjancic is a freelance sports reporter and announcer for WOBL and WDLW Radio
.
