By Paige Bortner

The Hastings College softball team wrapped up its fall season with a young and inexperienced group looking to use the offseason to prepare for the spring.

“I would say the team is young and very inexperienced, which has been a little bit of a challenge,” coach Troy Baker said.

With several younger players getting opportunities, the team has focused on learning and improving as it continues to build chemistry. 

Mother Nature has made that more difficult at times.

“We probably missed around five, six, seven practices because of the weather,” Baker said.

The missed practices have made it harder for the team to develop and get the amount of work it would normally have during the fall. Despite the challenges, Baker said the team has continued to work and improve with the opportunities it has had.

The fall season has given the younger players a chance to gain experience while also allowing the coaching staff to see what the team needs to work on before the spring season begins.

Baker said the team’s progress will continue to show as the players get more time together and return to regular practices.

“I think that’s kind of changed what we could be, and it’s been frustrating just because we haven’t been out there quite a bit,” Baker said.

With the fall season now finished, the Broncos will have the offseason to continue developing before returning to the field in January. The extra time will allow the team to improve its skills, gain experience, and build team chemistry.

While the fall presented challenges, especially with weather and inexperience, the team will look to use those experiences as motivation heading into the spring season. Baker expects the team to look different once it gets back on the field and has more consistent practice time.

“It’ll look better as we get going throughout when we start up again in January,” Baker said.

The Broncos will use the offseason to keep improving and get ready for the start of the spring season in January.