As we come back for a new school year, many activities are starting back up. Fall sports are beginning, and the seasons have started! Girls softball is one such sport. This year, the softball team is facing a big challenge: being a fairly young team. The girls, however, are putting in the work and fighting together to do what they do best: softball. 

So far this year, there have been 14 softball games including duals, triangulars and tournaments. The girls have won four out of the 14 games so far. Head coach Carlos Palomo is hoping with the new use of team captains, the team can have more unity and take home more wins. This year’s team captains are freshman, Hallie Schneider, sophomore, Ciara Hudson and senior, Morgan Moomey. 

Schneider has been playing softball for 10 years, this year being her first with Alliance High School. She can play almost any position, but prefers to play “pitcher, catcher and shortstop.” She prefers these positions because “the pitcher gets to be a part of every play and I want to be the one to strike them out, the catcher is the leader and they direct every play and the shortstop is kind of the role model, they get the most plays.” Schneider felt honored to be chosen as a team leader. She feels she put in the effort and time to prove that she was capable of becoming a captain at such a young age. 

Hudson has also been playing softball for 10 years, this being her second year with AHS. She is the varsity starting catcher and loves it because she “like[s] to be the leading voice that everyone has to rely on.” She can also play shortstop or third base. She says, “I also like catching because I am better at it than the other two positions I play.” Hudson believes that she has what it takes to lift the team up, but believes that “everyone can lead the team.” 

Moomey has been playing softball for 14 years, and this is her fourth and final season playing for AHS. She plays at third base, centerfield and has a past playing catcher. She prefers playing third base because “I like the speed and competitiveness that is involved in playing at third [base]. I also love bunt coverages because there is so much intensity, which keeps my adrenaline up and keeps the game going.” She feels excited that all of her hard work and time has paid off, and resulted in her being a team captain. Moomey states, “leadership is so important on any team, and I love that I get to be [one of the] captain[s].” 

Mr. Carlos Palomo is currently in his seventh year of being the head coach of the AHS softball team. When asked how the season was going so far, he responded, “this is a much more improved team compared to previous years. The potential is there, the girls just need to find ways to hit and score some runs.” Coach Palomo mentioned that in the previous seasons there have been struggles with leadership, so he and his assistant coaches chose the three girls who consistently put in hard work, and who they can trust. He hopes that with some student leadership, the team will be able to communicate and function better on and off the field.

Though this season’s record does not show much, the team chemistry and effort in this year’s players have gone up a tremendous amount. All three of the captains say that they are excited to see how far they will go this year, and how they are proud of the work that each of the players have put in so far. 

This Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th, the girls have a tournament in Scottsbluff. They have spent a long time preparing, putting in extra hours of practice on and off the field. They play at 9 A.M. and 2:15 P.M. on Friday, then 10:45 A.M. and 12:30 P.M. on Saturday. Take that one-hour drive to go down and see what these girls have to prove. Good luck Lady Bulldogs!