After years of different short-lasting co-ops, spartan softball takes to the Minnehaha Redhawks.
The new co-op has helped the softball team win their first game of the season, and their friendships and community have been thriving.
Captain Poppy Ploen believes the teams’ growth has helped the program as a whole, “I would say we’re definitely a stronger team because of it. And I think that we’ve all been able to make new friendships and new connections outside of our SPA softball community, which has been really fun.” she said.
The co-op happened because of the invested Minnehaha coaching staff and the need for a larger team. Although including other schools, past co-ops did not supply enough athletes for a full varsity and junior varsity roster. Combining teams helped them increase in ranking and size, making the two schools stronger as one, intending to build new friendships and a more extensive community outside of SPA.
Shortstop Tamari Christopher believes that along with more players, the coaching from the new co-op has improved, “This year we have different coaching styles, which has helped with the development of the team and the team is improving a lot more and getting better,” she said.
The friendships on and off the field have helped the team communicate and work together. When the co-op was just an idea, the Spartan players had doubts about coaches and teammates. However, it has been proven to have worked in the team’s favor. This also helped the team expand to not only a varsity but also a junior varsity team, which has helped the team become more competitive.
Second baseman Helen Frost said, “I think that it made us a lot better and it gave us a lot more opportunities because last year we didn’t have a junior varsity but this year we gained players to field both a varsity and a junior varsity team.”
The Redhawks’s next game is tomorrow, Apr 29, at 4:30 p.m. against Mounds Park Academy at Goodrich Softball Field.
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