Lady Blue Devils Ready To Take The Field

The Cordell Lady Blue Devil softball team has a new coach and a new look, but the same old gungho, no-quit attitude heading into the new season.

This summer the Lady Blue Devils have been working hard to get themselves and their field in shape. The girls are eager to get back into the game, and are willing to do whatever it takes to pull off a winning season.

New coach Whitney Misak has some big shoes to fill, replacing Bobby Blackburn as softball coach. Misak has quite a bit of experience under her belt, coaching last year’s junior high softball team and playing college softball at the Division 1 level. Misak appears to be a great fit for this team, and gets along well with the girls.

The Cordell Lady Blue Devils softball team has officially started their practice season with Misak. The practices are focused on the fundamentals of softball. Instead of having each girl complete exercises tailored specifically for their desired position, Misak decided to take a more inclusive approach, each player practices for every possible position to ensure no natural talent goes unseen.

Practicing in this way will also keep the players well rounded in their skill set. This practice method will remain i n place until positions are assigned.

The girls use position specific fundamental drills to strengthen themselves as a team. They have been working on catching the ball with one foot still on the plate, and getting familiar with all of the most effective ways to get the ball from base to base. After only a few short days Misak has reported seeing talent, and is excited to see where the season will take her team.

Before the girls could practice, they had to renovate the field. The Cordell Softball field was a mighty beast to conquer, large patches of grass and weeds dappled the infield. Insects and mounds of dirt had taken up residence in both dugouts.

To solve this issue, prior to starting practice, the Cordell softball team held a “field day.” The girls spent hours picking weeds out of the infield by hand, sorting through broken equipment, and sweeping the dugouts. The players evicted all of the birds from the dugout and neutralized the spiders hiding in their gear. New loads of dirt have been dropped off at the fields to make sure the infield is soft and ready for sliding.

To prepare for the upcoming season, the team will be holding a couple of fundraisers to pay for the team’s expenses. These expenses include replacing broken equipment and feeding the girls on long trips.

One of those fundraisers is the sale of t-shirts. Forms are available from any member of the softball team. Orders are due Aug. 9 and can be turned in to any member of the softball team.

The softball girls will also be holding a special 100 inning game. The 100 inning game will pit the junior high softball team against the high school softball team. This game will take place on August 5 at 7:30 am and will be a perfect opportunity for the girls to showcase the new skills they have been working on. For this fundraiser, sponsors will choose a specific player and donate money every inning that they play. Anyone is welcome to attend this game.

The Cordell Lady Blue Devils have gone the extra mile to prove that they want to win. This season will be one for the books.

Photos by Flora Walters, The Cordell Beacon.