Play Ball!!

Danielle finally got to play in her first softball game of the season this weekend; Her team played in their first tournament. They played a couple games in the fall but a couple girls have left since then. They haven't scrimmaged or anything, so we weren't sure how they would do. Turns out...not too badly! They made some mistakes and have some things to improve upon, but they certainly started strong. They ended up finishing third overall in the tournament, winning 4 games and losing 2. It was a great start to the season.

Danielle had an amazing weekend. She made the switch to being a lefty hitter when the season ended last summer. She has been taking hitting lessons and practicing on her own for months. We weren't sure how it was all going to come together once she was in a real game with a live pitcher, but she did great! She was the lead off batter all weekend. She had 18 at bats and got on base 15 times. She got to steal lots of bases and scored several times. In one game she hit in the tying run. Her hitting has always been the weakest part of her game, so this was a big deal. She was really happy with how well she did, but getting a text from her coach after the game telling her how great she did and that she lead the team in almost every category was the icing on the cake.

It looks like she's going to be playing centerfield most of the time this year. She is fast, so it's probably a good spot for her. She played short stop some this weekend, too. She is aggressive, moves quickly, and has a pretty good softball IQ, so she's a good candidate for the infield, too. She made good plays in both spots this weekend. We'll have to see how the season progresses. This was definitely a great start to the season for her.