Under the iceberg

They tie up their cleats. Take a lap around the field. And warm up their arms.

This is the ritual warm-up of the New Ulm Eagles softball team before practice and games.

What you see at a New Ulm Eagles softball game is just the tip of the iceberg. Under the iceberg, there are hours of work that every athlete on the team has put in.

“I always notice softball practice goes later than ours,” said senior Ben Hohensee.

In total, there are about nine scheduled hours of practice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they either pack it onto the bus or hit the fields an hour and a half early for game time.

During those nine scheduled hours of practice, the team starts with “every days”. According to Kristi Anderson-Loose, the head softball coach, “every days” are progressive drills that focus on specific areas of the infield and outfield that help practice fundamental skills. Every days are different for infield and outfield players. Infield focuses on skills such as double plays, fielding ground balls, and specialty throws. The outfield focuses on skills such as pop flies, “do or die’s,” and diving catches. After every days, it’s typical for the team to head down to the cage for some batting practice.

Batting practice is located in the New Ulm Fastpitch shed on Valley Street by the Goosetown Fire Department. Batting practice is split into multiple different stations. At each one, a different hitting drill is practiced.

And speaking of the iceberg: on April 11, the Eagles faced Fairmont and were defeated. For the next two weeks, they worked extra hard at practice, and then on April 25, they met Fairmont for the second time and won. The team was thrilled that their hard work had paid off – just the tip of the iceberg showing strong!