Baker Softball is currently amping up with a record of 22-22, with an in-conference record of 13-18, as of April 27. With the majority of their schedule in April, they will need to continue playing well for a chance to win the Conference tournament on May 5 through May 8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

This season is an important one for many players on this team with 15 players being juniors or above, with nine seniors playing in their potential last season at Baker. With upperclassmen comes a lot of experience and that could be important as the season comes to an end.

“Knowledge about the game and pressure situations and handling them appropriately makes this veteran-laden team different,” Senior Skylar Gorrell said. “More experience is the difference between this team and other teams.”

The schedule in April was slow for softball but the team is taking a day-by-day mentality and not thinking about how many games they have played. Gorrell also explains that to finish strong, the team needs to attack and fight the rest of the way to have more opportunities in the conference tournament.

“We want to keep building our team, this means bonding outside of practice and games,” Senior Morgan Loggins said. “The biggest thing we continue to do is have trust and communication with each other.”

The team is focused on building up their relationships to help out when games and the season get tough while also staying healthy. Loggins also explains that the season has had a lot of ups and downs due to some injuries to the team, but people have stepped up to right the ship.

Gorrell and Loggins both made the point that everyone on the team is equal no matter what class they are in. This helps the team develop chemistry and also the younger players develop and step into roles they may not have thought they would be playing.

“The younger players have fit right into our group of returners and have led us to have a strong group of girls,” Senior Kylee Snider said. “We are willing to go all out for our teammates knowing that we have each other’s backs at the end of the day.”

The team looks to overcome the adversities the season has thrown at them and make a run in the conference tournament. Baker softball looks to be a team that is fully connected and ready for the conference tournament.

With the regular season at its end, the Baker softball team hopes to carry their momentum and veteran knowledge into the Heart of America Conference tournament. The tournament takes place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from May 5 through May 8.