As the major league baseball season was playing its last games in the month of September, preparations for the Notre Dame 2025 softball season were just getting started, and it looks like we have a strong team to take us well into the postseason this year.
After winning three Mission League titles, head coach Justin Siegel believes the Knights have a chance to do it again this season.
Tryouts were held on September 13, 2024 and the first thing participants did was a warm up consisting of stretching, jogging, and throwing.
Then, the girls went on the field to do ground ball drills, switching positions three times. Fly ball relays were next, testing a player’s ability to field pop flies and checking throwing accuracy to a specific infield or cutoff position like third base or the catcher.
Lastly, players were tested on their hitting ability. For additional opportunities to showcase their defensive skills, players waiting to hit took different positions to field the balls they were hitting.
Coach Siegel and his assistant coaches Gaby De La Cerda and Brian Luderer were very kind and supportive to everyone at the tryouts.
If someone wasn’t doing too well, coaches would give them a suggestion to improve their fielding or their hitting form or technique. The additional personalized coaching helped players make the corrections they needed to improve their skills.
The new varsity softball roster consists of three seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and six freshmen. One of the seniors, Adiah Fountain, is already committed to University of San Diego, and Coach Siegel believes other players are going to go far in their softball careers, too.
“We expect a large majority of the roster to have the opportunity to play at the next level, should they continue to work hard,” said Coach Siegel.
The six freshmen who made the roster were Molly Coppola, Aylssa Lusk, Haley Maldonado, Jackie Morales, Keira Luderer, and Kelsey Luderer, and they are super excited and can’t wait for the season to begin.
Alyssa Lusk ‘28 said, “It feels really good and I feel proud of myself because my hard work has been paying off. I’m happy that I made my parents proud.”
With a strong roster in place, the next few months will be spent on team building and skill building. The Knight will definitely be ready for their first preseason softball game on February 21, 2025 against the Chancellors at Chatsworth High School.
