Simpson’s softball team is getting into the swing of things as they prepare for what hopes to be a winning season.

The softball team will travel to Conway, Ark., for their first appearance of the season. The Hendrix Classic begins on Saturday, March 3, and ends the next day. The Storm will face the University of Dallas as their first opponent. The women will then battle Hendrix and Westminster (Mo.). Simpson hopes the Hendrix Classic Finals, which are scheduled for Sunday afternoon, will be the conclusion of a very successful weekend.

“If they give a trophy, I plan on bringing it home,” Head Coach Henry Christowski said. “We’re going down there with the idea of winning all four games and we won’t accept coming home with anything else.”

Such eagerness is igniting enthusiasm to let the games begin. According to Christowski, the attitude of the players is one of the strongest assets of the team.

“Our biggest strength is [that] we have a lot of young ladies who are pretty talented and excited to play,” Christowski said.

Senior infielder Jacey Stephens believes that high levels of teamwork and communication aid the team and will contribute to their success. She claims that knowing exactly what the plan of action is at all times should be the team’s main focus.

The team believes it has a lot of strengths; it’s putting them all together that will be the key to their achievement. Senior infielder Allison Erichsen attributes good hitting, defense and speed to the Storm softball team. She expects the team to do well if they compile their strong suits.

Despite the positive outlook, however, the Storm is continually aiming to strengthen their game.

“No matter how strong we are, there are always areas which we can improve,” Christowski said. “Right now we want to get on the field and compete so we can see what those weaknesses really are.”

Simpson softball is currently working on integrating the new talent into the flow of the game. Stephens deems the freshmen to be full of potential, even though the process of incorporating the newcomers can serve as a hassle.

Finding the strongest players and putting them into their appropriate positions is the task at hand, according to Erichsen.

The women have faced obstacles in meshing the various talents into one system. The recent weather conditions have made it difficult for the team to practice in a game setting and a suitable environment.

“We haven’t been able to get out on the field and put it altogether,” Erichsen said.

Thanks to lots of practice, the Simpson softball team looks forward to a successful season. Erichsen claims they plan to strive for the unwritten goal of winning as many games as they can and going as far as they can in postseason play.

In 2006, the Storm had a winning season of 29-14 and appeared in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

“It really sucks to lose but you should always strive to lose gracefully,” Stephens said. “Of course you want to win but sometimes you have to lose. And then you have to pick yourself up and move forward.”