Softball players gear up for competition

Outlaws softball players - and those who aspire to be - got an immersion course in the sport at this summer's softball camp in Sisters.

Coach Tom Mauldin is extremely happy with the results of the camp.

"It was good for the girls. There was lots of progress and lots of energy. As a coach I was really pleased," he said.

Coach Mauldin wants to build on success and has a plan for the upcoming week. He is hosting a "by invitation only" event that is designed for softball varsity team prospects. The event will be unique. It is patterned to provide practice and bonding. Mauldin hopes it will build a good foundation for the year's program.

"On August 16 we are holding a one-day practice at 5:30 p.m., at Sisters High School varsity softball field. It is for varsity prospects only and invitation only. We are doing this before fall sports teams begin their practices on August 20. The girls will have about two-plus hours of practice. Then, we will barbecue dinner, and they will camp out on the field that night with a couple of 'team moms' chaperoning them," Coach Mauldin said.

The girls will be up early the next morning for a full day of events and a home cooked, catered breakfast.

"At 7 the next morning, my wife (Cat) and I will return with breakfast, and at 8 a.m., we will have a five-inning, full-blown, all-out game," the coach explained.

Coach Mauldin believes he will invite between 16 and 18 girls to the event. All of his selections to the "invitation only" event are girls who he feels have varsity potential and will likely become the core of this year's school team.

However, the selection process is not engraved in stone, and Mauldin anticipates that there could be some changes between now and the beginning of the next season, bringing in some fresh faces as well as leaving others on the sidelines.

"That does not mean they will make the varsity come next February-March, and it does not mean someone who is not invited will not make the varsity. It simply means we want them interacting and bonding," said Coach Mauldin.

The coach wants to build a sense of continuity in the team.

"Included in the mix will be four freshmen and six or seven seniors, plus sophomores and juniors. It will be a good chance for them to get to know one another, as well as a good chance to see how they compete," he said.

That'll be it for a while for softball, at least in a fully organized setting. Some of the girls will play fall and winter sports.

"Some girls, who are not playing fall or winter sports, will work out this fall and winter hitting, fielding, throwing, pitching, catching, etcetera, looking to enhance their springtime performance," Mauldin said.

But it'll be about six months before the team will rally together again.

"Next time I see the girls as a group will be at our Christmas party in mid-December," Mauldin said.