The Broadway Baseball and Softball teams start the 2024 season off with a bang.
By: Ben Elliott
Starting a season off strong is the first step towards a successful season for any program. Both the softball Lady Gobblers and the baseball boys both heard the memo and are off to great starts as we start to get into the thick of district play.
I know last time we talked I was hung up on the groundhog and his perpetual lying about the weather. However, in the past week, the weather has taken a turn for the better. In the past month, both teams have fought against the elements, each having their fair share of cancellations due to various circumstances from mother nature. Wind, rain and even hail contributed to a handful of postponements for each program. However, despite the weird schedules we’ve been running on for the past couple weeks, each team is off to an impressive start.
At the time of this being written, the Lady softball Gobblers stand at an impressive 7-2 record! After losing a tilt with rival Turner Ashby 10-2, the team responded with a pair of ten run scoring outputs versus East Rock and Harrisonburg. The pair of blowout victories puts the team’s district record to 2-1. The profile for the team remains similar to what we’re used to with from Coach Cantrell’s squads. A high flying offense with great pitching and solid defense. This team has been fun to watch so far this year. With their experienced core looking a year older and younger players continuing to step up this team continues to build on it’s solid start.
Losing to a rival by any margin is difficult, let alone by eight runs. However, what I always try to get my players to focus on in the aftermath of that moment is the next step forward. It can be incredibly easy to get caught up in the loss that you lose sight of what’s in front of you. I remember losing to TA on the road coaching football my first year back in 2021. We lost in double overtime I’m pretty sure and the loss was devastating. I remember my speech after the game. As difficult as it was at the moment, I wanted the team to try and look forward to the next week. And the biggest point of that speech was, we would see our rivals again. Fast forward a couple weeks and low and behold, we faced TA again, in Bridgewater, for our first round playoff tilt. We held a lead at the half and never looked back. The point here is, for the Lady Gobblers, it’s a long season and you will get a chance to play the teams in the Valley District again. It’s truthfully a marathon not a sprint!
For the baseball boys, they stand at 8-1 with the only loss being the East Rockingham Eagles.
It’s been a fun team to watch so far. The offense has been steady since day one and the team, as a whole, has put together great pitching performances which has contributed to the teams great start. The main key for the team this season has been the offense. We’ve been impressed with the production from a different face every night. To me, that’s why the team has been so successful so far in the early going this season. Their ability to balance small ball in huge situations, coupled with power to put games away has made them incredibly versatile and tough to beat no matter who they’ve played.
I’m thrilled for each team so far this season. Both teams have been so much fun to watch through the first few weeks of the season. Starting off hot can give your squad a boost in the early moments of the year. Now, that being said, I know both of these coaches would say that the real moments are made late in the year. Seasons are very long seemingly even though they only last a couple months. Which is why it’s very important to take things one day at a time in order to have the cooliest head when preparing for competition, and as Baseball Coach George Laase would say “do your best to go 1-0 today”.
Thank you for all your support so far this season Gobblers fans, we appreciate your support! Be sure to catch the teams in action via Gobbler Sports Network with Micah Morris and Joe Glick!
