Ike Slow-pitch: The Fogotten Sports
What sports do you think about when you think of fall sports? I’m going to assume that you think of football, cross country, girls soccer, girls swimming and diving, and girls volleyball. But what about girls slow-pitch softball? By the end of this article, I’m going to hope that you don’t forget about it.
There are two different kinds of softball, slow-pitch and fastpitch. Slow pitch is different from fastpitch in many different ways. The main difference is the way the softball is thrown. In slow pitch, like it's name, the pitch is a lot slower than it is in fastpitch. A pitch in fastpitch is around 55 mph at the high school level, maybe even higher. But a pitch in slow pitch is about 10 mph. Not only is a pitch slower in slow pitch, there is also an arc in the pitch. In order to not be called "illegal" and an automatic ball, the ball has to reach a height between 6 and 12 feet. In fastpitch, the ball stays at about waist level and if it's a good pitch, it doesn't reach much of a height at all, hence its name.
I asked some Ike slow-pitch players questions about their sport. What makes some girls want to join slow-pitch? Senior Summer Taylor-Kent says “I’ve always grown up playing softball and baseball so this was the closest thing, and it allows me to be able to play in the off season doing what I love, being on the field and a part of a team.”
What makes these girls come back? “It’s always the environment, my coaches, and teammates. It’s a feeling of community to be with my team out on the field, almost a family. It always makes me want to come back each year.” says Taylor Yockey, Ike Senior.
How does the team blend and what is the vibe in the dugout? “The best thing about Slow-pitch is everyone that tends to try out is from all different backgrounds. We have girls that have never played before and girls that are playing slow-pitch to take up an offseason. It usually starts out interesting because everyone is bringing something new to the team each year, but since I've been a cadet it is usually not too long after our first game that we all start getting close and have fun.” says Taylor. “The vibe changes game by game, some days the girls are just happy to be out there, other days you can tell the determination they have just from the way they communicate in the dugout. Usually though, there is a lot of laughter and excitement.” says coach Mrs. Duarte, who has been coaching fastpitch for around 5 years.
Why should Ike Students come to your games? “These girls work so hard throughout the season they would love to have some support from the school!” says Mrs. Duarte. “For starters it's always good to come out and support, especially if you have the time and It's also a lot of fun to watch. All of us girls love being out there and I’ve been told by people that watch that it’s nice to see how much we enjoy playing and our little community we’ve created on the field” says Taylor. “It's honestly just fun to watch in my opinion, but we really need more people to come out purely for crowd support, if there's no one cheering behind us sometimes it's hard to stay positive.” says Taylor.
So, as you can see, these girls need support. The home games that are left are against Davis September 30th , 4pm and 6pm, against West Valley October 7th, also 4pm and 6pm, and against Wenatchee October 12th 4pm and 6pm. If you want the list of away games left email me at hanson21345@ysd7.org. So mark these dates and times on your calendar and these girls hope to see you there! I’d like to thank Summer, Taylor and Mrs. Duarte for answering my questions. Go Ike Slow-pitch!
