Hickman softball team depending on seniors

With four seniors leading the way, the Hickman softball team hopes that its experience will translate to wins this season.

Hickman looks to improve from a 14-7 finish last year, the best season the Kewpies have had in coach Courtney Haskell’s three-year tenure. After being victorious in their first seven games last season, the Kewpies went .500 the rest of the way. The team’s season came to an end at the hands of eventual state champion Helias in the district tournament.

If the team hopes to improve upon last season’s outcome, its seniors must play well.

“The seniors are the rock of this team,” Haskell said. “I’m really serious about this. They are the ones with the most playing experience. Jennifer Bieberly and Shana White are four-year starters. Lindsey Hart is a three-year starter. And Morgan (Bichsel), even though she doesn’t start, is the heart of this team.”

This year’s seniors will be the first class Haskell has coached for four full years. Because of that, Haskell would like to see this season be her most successful.

“It’s your first class going through,” Haskell said. “Don’t get me wrong, I really love all my kids. But it really is kind of special because they are my first class.”

But Haskell doesn’t place all the emphasis on wins and losses. She says she views the game as a way to prepare her players for life outside of softball.

“I think its important for these kids to learn, and that doesn’t mean just softball,” Haskell said. “They have to learn that they’re going to have to take risks in life and trust that their teammates, parents and friends will be there to pick them up if they fall.”

It’s impossible for a team to have a successful season without forming lasting relationships, Haskell said.

“I think that it’s so important in a season that is this short and intense that you do bond with your teammates,” Haskell said. “You have to bond to be successful. You have to be able to trust your teammates and know that they’re going to be there to pick you up and have your back. When the ball gets tipped off your glove, you need to know that someone’s going to be there to make the out.”

With four seniors who have played softball with one another their entire high school careers, the Hickman team appears to have no problems in the locker room.

“We’ve all gotten along really well. We’re all really good friends,” Bichsel, a senior, said. “The good thing about this year is there’s really no drama, where there was in the past.”

While Haskell might not place the emphasis on winning, her players remain focused on their goal of improving upon last season’s early exit from districts.

“We have a lot of potential,” Hart, another senior, said. “We definitely have the ability to do very good and go very far. It’s a team thing. We have plenty of talent, and we just have to put it together.”