Sun’s out, guns out! IASAS Softball finishes off the school year’s sports seasons with intense competition and final goodbyes. The girls team finished with a bronze medal and a fantastic comeback, while the boys finished in the Championship game with silver.

Although the girls had to face defeat in various games, winning only one of their round-robin games, they managed to push themselves into the consolation game. The varsity girls powered through and eventually ended up with a bronze medal.

Coach Laura Stewart describes the season as a “roller-coaster” and prides the team in “never giving up.” She says even through the “sheer number of injuries and bad calls by the umps, they still stuck together as a team and that’s why we did so well in the end.”

Looking forward to next year, she believes the team will “have a great bunch of returning players, so the future is bright.”

Twelve season IASAS participant and captain of this year’s varsity team, Tori Alexander (12) comments that “despite [her] injury and being unable to play for the majority of IASAS it is definitely one of [her] most memorable IASAS experiences because of [the] team.”

She finishes by saying that winning bronze is indeed “amazing,” however she says she is “blessed to have been able to experience 11 other IASAS tournaments,” and “being there to experience it with [her] team, [was] enough for [her].”

Captain Emma Curtis (11) stated that, “throughout the season, we had a lot of ups and downs. We had broken bones, twisted ankles, sore arms, and busted knees, but never have I ever been on a team that was more determined to change their performance and improve for the next game.”

As for the boys’ team, they started the tournament strong, with two wins against TAS and ISKL. The team continued to work hard, and after winning their game against JIS the final morning, they were off to the Championship game against SAS! With an incredibly strong tournament, the boys finished strong with a silver medal.

Captain Kaz Shetga (12) says, “our team was relatively small compared to the other schools, but we still managed to push through to the finals.” He adds that “regardless of us coming just short of first place, it was an amazing experience for all of us.”

Fellow Captain Joe Meisburger (12) agrees with Kaz who predicts, “with 4 seniors leaving the team this year, it will take some work to rebuild, but I’m sure the team will go back to IASAS next year stronger than ever.”

Sammi Thomas