With Spring right around the corner, CWU’s softball team has been preparing during the off-season to finally get their time to shine. 

Third-baseman Myiah Seaton shared some of what the team has been doing and enduring to get ready for the upcoming season.

“We have not had a lot of resources to do the things we should be doing during practice since Ellensburg’s weather has been coasting in the 20s and 30s,” Seaton said. “We do not have access to our optimal indoor facility, however, we have been able to find ways around it and have been doing a lot of at-bats with our own pictures simulating plate appearances has been very beneficial for our offensive side.” 

Among the many familiar faces that CWU brought back to the team, Seaton is one of the few on the team that will be completing her final season as a Wildcat this year. Last season, Seaton started in all 47 games and was recognized at the end of the season with Honorable Mention All-GNAC.

“Throughout the summer I wouldn’t let myself stop working because of this looming thought that this year is my last chance ever to play the game that I love,” Seaton said. “With that, though, I found myself honing a ‘just have fun’ mentality since the situation is out of my control. If I realize what I’m doing: making memories with my amazing teammates and playing my game, then all I can do is thank my lucky stars and have fun.”

CWU also brought in some fresh faces this year, including transfer student and catcher Anna Fridell who said she is really looking forward to spring ball after the preseason. 

“I’m thrilled about spring season coming up,” Fridell said. “The difference about this year’s team is the adversity we faced throughout these winter months. We knew that we had to be ready for opening day despite anything that’s thrown at us, and we feel more than ready for that first pitch.”

Their work has gone far but unnoticed given their ranking in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) preseason coaches poll. CWU placed fourth in the poll with 32 points, only three points behind the Western Washington University (WWU).

“After being polled seventh out of seven teams last year, we see fourth place as an improvement, but still not accurate to our standards,” Fridell said. “We aren’t shaken by this ranking. We know that with our best bats and defense put together, we can beat anyone and being ranked fourth only gives us that extra edge to prove it to the rest of the conference. We’re excited to come out strong and send a statement.”

Both Seaton and Fridell described the team this year as a very tight-knit group.

“Since our very first team meeting back in the fall, Coach Joe emphasized that if we want to be a championship team, we must stay together … our team has made camaraderie and togetherness a priority this year,” Fridell said. 

“I think the camaraderie of the team is what’s going to bring us to the top,” Seaton said. “It’s inevitable [when being] on a team full of 25 plus girls to have some sort of miscommunication at times, but we’ve been doing team-building exercises which I think is bringing us together as a family.”

CWU softball will appear in their first regular season games in Irvine, California participating in the Concordia Kick-Off Classic tournament. They start off their weekend of play on Friday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. and will be playing all weekend until Sunday.