As third and last season sports kick off this week, there has been a major change to Softball. After ending 30 years of Slow-Pitch Softball with both ISB boys and girls winning Gold last year, it has now changed to Baseball for the boys and Fast-Pitch Softball for the girls.
Varsity Boys Coach Andrew Weiser, who is now heading into his 7th year of coaching the team, says, “This change is good. It aligns with most high schools through out the world. Our expectations from the players remain almost the same. Throw the ball, hit the ball, field the ball and run the bases.”
He added on, “Therefore, we do need more players as there are big changes to the sport, which are pitching, catching and hitting a fastball or a curve!!” However, Coach Weiser still believes that ISB’s success in IASAS can continue if the players keep on working hard in practice and games, and give their 100%.
Kotaro Sato, a senior who is entering his fourth and last season with the team, also believes that it is a good change. He said, “The games are going to be much more interesting. I do not believe that the transition is going to affect us, as a lot of players on the team have already been playing baseball for a long time. The returning players and new players who are not familiar with Baseball can learn and improve through out the season, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
On the girls’ side, Juli Piyapanyawongse, a junior who is entering her third Softball Season, says, “The change is definitely going to bring some change to our performance. I think batting is the biggest difference between the two sports, so I’ve been practicing batting a lot more than pitching. I’ll have to continue to work on adjusting my swing and bunting through out the season.
She added on, “We have played a lot of competitive games last year and many returning players have already experienced SEABYST; a fast pitch softball tournament. So I expect the team to pick up game pretty quickly.”
Sarah Du Pont, a senior entering a third Softball season, says, “I am a little nervous about this change because of the change in rules and speed of the game. While the game is not completely new to us, it might still be a little difficult for the team to adjust to the fast pitching speed and to hit as far as in slow pitch. Also, I believe many players, especially from Manila, already know how to play fast pitch. So they might have a slight advantage over the other IASAS teams at Exchange in March.”
She also said, “I need to make my batting swing much smaller because with a faster pitch, I will have less time to make contact with the ball. As for running the bases, I will have to be more aware of the players and the ball because we are allowed to steal bases in fast pitch.”
Overall, there are certainly more positive feedbacks from the coaches and the players as the change to Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball levels the intensity and the speed of the game. The real test for the Panthers is going to be at the IASAS Baseball & Fast-Pitch Softball Exchange, which will be held on the 10th of March at ISB.
Alex C
