With a new squad, the Bellevue College women’s softball team is anxious to play ball and progress on their way to an NWAACC title.
The BC girls are led by Leah Francis, who is going into her 10th year as head softball coach. She has led the team to nine consecutive NWAACC tournament performances and three consecutive fourth place finishes. She says, “We have one main goal. That is to shoot for an NWAACC championship. We have come really close the last few years, finishing fourth place three years in a row in the NWAACC tournament and this year our goal is to take first place.” The goals are just as high as the expectations for the team this year and Coach Francis knows this.
Returning pitchers like Brielle Bray and Hannah Sauget have already made an impact on the team, getting wins and making the most of their innings pitched. “They have both come into the season picking up where they left off,” says Francis. “They have improved over last year and continue to carry the load on the mound.” Offensively, the team got off to a slow start. However, after a few games, the team looks to be finding their offensive groove. “We started off our first game a couple of weeks ago and we didn’t hit very well,” said Francis. “But, gosh, ever since then we have had pretty good production throughout the line-up. All of us are just now starting to see what we are really capable of offensively.”
One of the captains on the team is sophomore catcher Maddy Dorhofer. Maddy says she knows her role as a leader on the team and is taking her role seriously. “I am one of three team captains and so I am a leader,” she says. “So, some of my goals are keeping everything in line, keeping the girls motivated, keeping the dugout and field loud when it comes time for games and practices, keeping everybody upbeat and making sure there is no drama. I deal with things so the coaches don’t have to.” There are aspects of her game which she wants to improve upon to better both herself and her team: “My personal goal is to stay compact and not let myself get in my own head during games. I want to stay focused during the games—be intense and play for the team more than play for myself.”