Cedars, February 2019

February 2019 17 SPORTS by Tim Smith T he Cedarville Lady Jackets softball team looks to continue its recent suc- cessful years with a triumphant 2019 season. In 2018, they were 31-18, and fin- ished No. 1 in the G-MAC. The conference tournament didn’t go the Lady Jackets’ way, however, as they were eliminated after win- ning just one of their three games. This year head coach Wes Rowe be- lieves the team can repeat its victorious sea- son and hopefully continue further into the tournament. “We are very capable of winning the conference again and we are very capable of winning in the 30s again,” Rowe said. But for the Lady Jackets to have a championship-worthy season, they must hold fast to their strengths from last season. After going 19-5 in the conference a season ago, the Lady Jackets were voted to finish first yet again this season in the pre- season coaches poll. Keeping their eye on the ball A major aspect the team focused on this offseason was hitting, and the Lady Jackets know that this was a craft they needed to improve on. “A big goal of ours is to just hit the ball, because we didn’t do that last year and we need to this year,” senior Morgan Arbogast said. Arbogast wasn’t wrong about the Lady Jackets’ hitting struggles last year — the team was ranked in the bottom half of the conference in batting at .276. Rowe, though, said that is going to change. “We anticipate hitting better this sea- son. We had a five-year span from 2011- 2015 where there were 21 Division II schools that hit .300 in the nation and we were one of them,” Rowe said. “We focused on the intangibles this offseason and are looking to hit better.” Defense wins championships To complement their improved hitting, the Cedarville women look to stay strong on the defensive side of the ball, one of their best areas last year. They ranked second overall in team pitching in the G-MAC and third overall in team fielding. “We work intensely on the accuracy of our throwing and developing our arms,” Rowe said. “We have never played a team who has better throwing arms then we do, ever. That’s not a generalization – it’s just fact,” Rowe said. Rowe knows how important throwing and defense is to success in softball: “If you can’t throw, you can’t get people out,” he said. More to the season than winning Every team wants to win games, but, for the Lady Jackets, that is not the ultimate goal. “We want to win, and we want to play well,” Rowe said, “but we know that isn’t our ultimate goal. I always tell the girls we must represent Christ on and off the field.” Through the common goal of playing well and glorifying Christ, the team has cul- tivated great relationships and increased the overall team chemistry. “A lot of times when we were in tough situations, it was our team chemistry that brought us together,” Arbogast said. “We pick a theme every single year that is tied into our spiritual goal for the year,” she said. “This year, our theme is ‘Hard. Smart. Together.’ Those don’t only define our physical play, but our spiritual attitudes as well. We want everything we do on the field to be done together and for His glory.” Playing on strengths, fixing weaknesses Overall, the Cedarville softball team is looking to have another positive season and is determined to succeed in the G-MAC tournament. “All in all we just need to recognize our strengths and weaknesses and fix as we need to,” said senior Danae Fields. “That’s what it’s going to take for success.” The women know that, as long as they play to the best of their ability, they will nev- er be disappointed in the end. “We are seeking to be perfect in every- thing we do,” said Rowe. “When we play ex- ceptionally well, win or lose, we are OK with the outcome.” The Lady Jackets open up their sea- son with the Midwest Region Crossover on Feb. 22 and 23 against Quincy, Rock- hurst, Maryville, and Truman State. Tim Smith is a freshman Journalism major and dtaff writer for Cedars. He loves foot- ball, 3 Musketeers candy and primarily speaking in movie quotes. Cedarville Softball Seeks Another Positive Season Photo by Jillian Strouse Outfielder, Avery Humes guards the base from her teammates during a practice on Jan. 23.