Milford softball steps up to the plate

The Milford Softball team started their season off right before spring break, but due to the “lovely” Michigan weather they were inside for most of the tryouts and practices. Last year, the team lost three seniors: Taylor Mitchell, Danielle Ryan and Lauren Laughrey. Although the team lost some crucial members, the 2023 season team got a lot of new players that are keeping the players hopeful about the upcoming season.

One major change this year is that the program will now be led by William Russell, who also has a daughter on the team, Tori Russell. Milford softball’s prior coach, Heather Davis, withdrew herself from the team to focus on her kids.

Getting a new coach can always be a challenge to any team. Senior Catcher Camryn Keough shared her opinions on how the team is adapting, “It has definitely been a big adjustment, but he only wants to push us to become better players and see us succeed.” With that, the team is succeeding so far, in the Mavs 4th game, sophomore Hana Scripture hit the team’s first home run during their 10-9 win against Novi High School.

This softball team without a doubt can be successful this season as they have a lot of returning players with experience. They ended the LVC being 9-7 leaving them 5th in the league and Walled Lake Northern 1st in their league. Junior Outfielder Kayla Hulswitt has watched this team throughout the years. “We are a very hardworking team, and I think that it will definitely start to show in our game performance,” she stated.

The softball team plays 7-inning double headers every LVC game. Playing double headers twice a week almost every time and then sometimes having a tournament over the weekend can be draining, which is why having your team to lean on is crucial.

Despite how physically challenging it can be, with the spring season being relatively short, sophomore third baseman Marissa Merz shared her positives about the season, “My favorite part about high school softball is playing for your school and playing with your friends.” An important aspect to any team is their bond and dynamic when playing together.

It’s very unheard of, but this year there is no JV softball team. There used to be a freshmen, JV and varsity team just a couple of years ago; for there to be just one team this year shows a drastic change in the amount of Milford softball players.

This team is just getting started, with more time and practice the team’s overall connection is going to grow and bring positive results under the Milford name. The team is 15 players deep, and although there’s no JV team, the varsity girls have been working hard to be successful this season.