An inexperienced softball squad started the season with an 0-3-1 overall record. The team, which only has four seniors, suffered a 15-0 loss against Mira Costa on March 11.

“Our goal that day was to have good at-bats, and to cheer and to be ‘teamy,’ and those are things that we did,” Softball Program Head Claire Rietmann-Grout said. “A loss is a loss. I’m not worried about that. I’m more worried about our process and making sure that we are giving our max effort every single time.”

Part of the reason for the large number of new players is that one trimester of softball can count as two trimesters of physical education credit for players who need it and who get approval from Rietmann-Grout and Head of Athletics Terry Barnum. This change encouraged more girls who needed physical education credit to join the small team.

“For students who are short on P.E. credit, or are looking to get as much as possible, we’ve been willing to work with and talk to those students to see what can be worked out,” Barnum said. “It is not a blanket case where every girl who plays softball gets two instead of one P.E. credit. It is more of a case-by-case basis.”

Many of the players, who also play basketball, have not played in a game yet due to the overlapping of the girls’ basketball postseason. In preparation for the team’s first league game after spring break, the squad is focusing on improving its new players’ skills.

“Even though we are young, we have a core of our team who is very committed,” Rietmann-Grout said. “And that’s our theme for the year, it is commitment.”

The team is also working on making sure each player knows her role on the team and how she can contribute to success for the squad.

“Our weak points are when people make mistakes, and they really let it get to them,” shortstop Eibhlin Villalta ’15 said. “It kind of affects their play later in the game. I think we need to work on letting go of the past games and looking forward to do our best. I know we can do better than how we’ve been playing.”