The sound of weights slamming echo through the weight room as softball players develop themselves as players for the upcoming season.
Over the summer, varsity softball players junior Shayla Gonzalez , and sophomore Lillie Gaudio, use their time off from the regular season to work toward their personal goals, and further contribute to their team’s performance this coming season.
“I’m not going to waste every day that I have,” Gaudio said. “I like to put in work if I have the time.”
Over the summer, Gaudio played in tournaments with her club team and practiced to stay in shape for the high school season. Gaudio spent time every day improving her personal performance by working on her hitting, strength and overall conditioning. She hopes to play at the collegiate level and received the attention of college coaches over the summer after attending their hosted camps. She plans to stay in touch to eventually have them come to her games.
“I plan to go D1 at either Texas Tech or LSU,” Gaudio said. “I would like to be able to earn money in college through sponsorships and endorsements.”
Similarly, Gonzalez played and practiced with her club team every weekend with the goal of thriving in the high school season. She used her time over the summer to develop as a player and transfer the experience gained from her club season into the high school season.
“I would like to play in college,” Gonzalez said. “[I can do this by] working harder every day to become better [as a player].”
As the season approaches, Gonzalez works into a leadership role on her team to improve the team’s overall chemistry, rather than individual performance.
“[Our goal is to] have people step up and be able to like all work as a team,” Gonzalez said. “We’re all mostly [playing] as individuals [rather than together].”
Head Softball Coach Terry Tiffee focuses on the team’s strength development along with working on defense to improve from last year. Coach Tiffee works with the younger players to prepare them for older and more experienced competition as they work on catching, hitting, and fundamentals to prepare them for the season. Having a foundation of experienced upperclassmen allows for younger players to further develop as they learn from older players.
“I am expecting to compete for a district championship and a deep run in the playoffs. That is the goal for the year,” Coach Tiffee said. “[We can achieve this through] hard work, focus, and execution.”
Gaudio is a sophomore making her ineligible to receive any official offers under NCAA rules.
“I feel that going to the camps that [colleges] host helped me to gain interest from coaches,” Gaudio said.
