​Young Eagles players get valuable experience in summer camps

by Michael Smith
 

The Grain Valley softball team will be going through a transition phase.
 
The Eagles lost eight seniors from last season’s 24-8 squad and will bring in a bevy of newcomers and junior varsity players to play on the varsity team in 2023.
 
That’s why this summer will be critical.
 
All month Grain Valley has been participating in summer camps, working on fundamentals, hitting, and fielding as a new-look team is working on building chemistry before the season starts in late August.
 
The players are getting to know each other during the camps and that may be the biggest benefit, according to incoming freshman Lucy Dampf.
 
“When you are coming in (as a new player), you don’t know a lot of people,” Dampf said. “Being able to get to know them and play with them over the summer is really good.”
 
Added junior Izzie Salsman: “A lot of the workouts … We are doing together. We play a game about once a week, which helps with team bonding.”
 
The Eagles have been alternating between specific aspects of the game to work on over the month, but a big area of emphasis has been on the defensive end.
 
“We have been working a lot on perfecting our fielding form,” Grain Valley sophomore Addison Wright said. “We have been working on fielding short rollers and short hops.”
 
Going into the season, one player who can help mentor the young players and lead the charge in building chemistry is senior Emma Jane Ogle, who was a starter last season.
 
“She really helps us notice the little things,” Wright said.
 
Ogle and the newcomers will have a chance to carry on the Eagles winning ways that the program has had the past few seasons. Grain Valley has won 20-plus games in the last four seasons and have not had a losing season 2017.
 
With so many players that will get the opportunity to play at the varsity level, it may seem like a challenging task for the Eagles to continue those steaks on the surface, but they seem hopeful that they can do that and even more.
 
“We want to try and win everything,” Salsman said. “It will take a lot of hard work but I think we have the capability to.”