The softball team started practicing six days a week on fundamentals which will help them in the long run. There have been conditioning practices on Sundays, but mandatory practices started on Valentine’s Day. The twelve hours of practice per week is bound to help them break the mold this year and win a few more games. The team has an optimistic outlook on how they think the season will turn out. “I think we will work together as a team better than we ever have, and we hope to have our record show how good we are this season,” said Junior Kelsie Ralston. The new coaches, married couple Mike and Deb Braddock, are known for winning and previously coached for the Monaca School District. They took many teams to the playoffs, and will be trying to take Freedom there as well. They have new techniques that are applied during practice, and they are improving the girls’ skills drastically. The coaches have different, unique drills that focus on different aspects of the sport. Though the team started practices late, they are already better than they were at this time last year. The team only has four seniors for the 2011 season. “We’re a young team, but we’re made up of smart, natural athletes,” Senior Kellie Mercier said. Mercier, Kristi Tibolet, Ashlie Elmer, and Alex Ward plan to lead the team to victory this year. The seniors keep the team pumped up at practice and always give encouragement that makes the team better. “They don’t give up, and they always persevere. They keep the team in line,” said Sophomore Zoe Sayre. The four seniors have a huge impact on the team’s attitude, and they try to get their teammates to become positive thinkers. “They are great role models; they want us to become something different than the same old Freedom [softball team],” said Ralston. Last year, the girls only won a few non-section games and not one section game. Despite this, the coaches are setting a high goal of playoffs this year. With the new coaches’ techniques and the new attitudes, the team feels they have a shot of achieving it. The team’s first game is fast approaching and coming up in mid-March, and they plan to be ready to bring some competition to their opponents.