As the softball season comes to a close, many Chamblee softball players have had the chance to reflect on the very successful season.
“We had a great season. We were the region champs, we were undefeated, and we made it to the second round of the state playoffs. We did well because we had great attitudes mixed with good work ethic and good talent,” said Jack Phelps, assistant varsity softball coach.
While many found the work ethic extraordinary all around, some believed the seniors specifically did exceptionally well.
“We have had a very good season. We won region, and I think the seniors are a huge part of the team chemistry. They definitely carry the team mentally and physically [and] they definitely are our strongest players. They’re the best leaders because they’ve been a part of the team for so long,” said Avery D’auria (‘26).
With the seniors being such a vital role in the success of Chamblee’s softball team, some players are worried about the upcoming seasons after they graduate.
“It will definitely leave a significant impact on the team. I think it will be harder to do without them. It’ll be hard to find a good sense of team strength if we’re lacking their knowledge and experience,” said D’auria.
Although the team didn’t win the playoffs, many players are still happy about the success they did have.
“I think whether win or lose, we’ve had a really good season and a really good run. I feel like if everybody can just push and see it through to the end that no matter if we lose or not, it’ll be a good end to the season,” said Barton.
Barton has played softball for 11 years and plays third base, second base, and pitcher.
“I’m a pitcher, but I hate it. We practice every day that we don’t have a game. However, because of our schedule we got backed up due to delays. Because of all the delays, we have had a lot of games over the span of the last few weeks,” said Barton.
Practices tend to be based on errors made in the previous game which makes each day of practice different from the rest.
“Practices look a little different every day. According to how games have gone we decide what we need to work on. Yesterday, we did base running and hitting because our next game is going to include a couple pitchers who can actually throw a lot faster than we’ve seen before,” said Barton.
The coaches aim to improve both offensive and defensive strategies during practices as well as correcting errors.
“They’re usually structured around offense and defense. We’ll mix it up with team defense and individual offense in the batting cages,” said Phelps.
Having good team chemistry is important to achieving success during a softball season; many players credit the success of the season to the willing collaboration of the players.
“We definitely have had better communication as the season has progressed. This includes on the field and off the field. I feel like a lot of people can help each other, just by being on the field with another person, you can help them figure something out. That’s really vital when it comes to an actual game situation. At the beginning of the season we had some tough situations with bad communication, but I think we’ve gotten better and our team chemistry improved,” said Barton.
While having a tight-knit group of girls is great for having a functioning team, some find it difficult when adding new players to the existing group.
“When you have a group of girls that have been playing this game for a long time it’s sometimes better to be less than more in this situation. Personally, I think my biggest challenge is trying to bring these seniors that have been together for a very long time with some brand new players. Figuring out how to make that work socially and physically on the field has been a challenge. The way they handled it was extraordinary,” said Nathaniel Berryman, the head coach for Chamblee softball.
Some players believe the coach’s guidance and support has greatly helped lead the team to victory this season.
Sadie Thompson (‘28) said, “The coaches were really supportive and just helped us reach our goals. If we needed to work on something and we asked to work on that, then they normally gave us time to work on that. They were always asking about what they can do to help us get better.”
The team exceeded goals they had set when starting the season and it laid the groundwork for success.
“We exceeded expectations in a lot of ways,” Berryman said. “We came in with some high goals and hit them early in the season. This let us hit the ground running and dominate early. We had a few setbacks that hurt us along the way. All in all, I was very excited and proud of the girls for the season they had.”
