On March 20, Gabrielino High School’s softball team played Mountain View at home. Scores were unavailable at press time. Last year, they did not win against Mountain View but did secure at least one victory in 2022.
The Varsity Softball team is currently 3-4 in the league standings, much higher than last season, when they only won 2 games. Gabrielino softball hopes to see a brighter future ahead for the rest of the season.
“The season is rocky,” said sophomore Sydney Martel. “We are either really good or really bad depending on how we feel.”
On March 15, Gabrielino played South El Monte High School at home. Scores were unavailable at press time. The South El Monte team has many travel ball players (a competitive team outside of school, like clubs or elites) and, girls who have been playing since little. Gabrielino softball considers South El Monte as its biggest rival, challenging the team’s skill with their ongoing rivalry.
“The [ South El Monte] pitcher’s speed was faster than what we are used to,” said junior Destiny Lopez, another captain. “It was a big change for us, that game, but we still tried our best.”
On March 4, varsity softball played against Workman High School at home, winning 22-2, ending the game early by the mercy rule, which is when a game ends early due to a team being ahead by many points.
“I’ve been pleased [with] how everything has been turning out,” said senior Sophia Guerrero, captain of the Softball Varsity team, “ The girls have been growing as players and we’ve become even closer than we were before.”
The Eagles also faced Wilson High School at home on March 1, winning 12-10; The game was neck and neck, but the Eagles crowned victorious.
“The strength of our team is our bond,” said sophomore Sarah Velazquez “We’re like family to one another. I think all games are challenging in their own way. Especially getting in the mindset to play. Sometimes it can be hard to play to my full ability.”
The team sees each other like family, doing team bonding outside of school. They have a tradition of doing Secret Sisters, similar to Secret Santa, but instead of gifts, they exchange a basket or a bag of, snacks, candy, and encouraging notes.
“Season has been fun, but our coaches are always saying that we have so much potential and we could be playing a lot better right now,” stated Lopez.
Because it is still the beginning of the season, the softball coaches have been moving the players’ positions around to see what fits best for everyone.
“I think we’re just trying to figure it out this season,” Lopez stated. “Just everyone getting used to their positions and the games to feel comfortable.”
