By: Olivia Wallace

     Baseball and softball season have begun and both teams are looking to bounce back from rough starts to the season. The baseball team currently has 19 players, and the softball team has 20 players.

     The Knights started off their season with a difficult schedule. After their rough start, they are fighting back to earn a winning record. Senior Derek Childs commented, “We plan to improve by just keeping our heads high and going back to the basics.” The baseball team consists of eight seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, and seven freshmen.

     Before the season could start, though, the boys faced some challenges. After last season, the head coaching spot opened up. At the beginning of the season, they thought they had the position filled, but they did not have a coach heading into the season. Alan Jackson stepped up right before the season began, and is now leading the team. With 14 upperclassmen, it might be difficult for them to adjust. The Squire asked Childs about it, and he commented, “Our upperclassmen struggled at first but are now starting to adjust to the change and get things rolling.”

     The Lady Knights also had a slow start to the season, beginning the year with a few losses. They are looking to win more games and improve their record in the next few weeks to make a playoff push. Senior Captain Payton Frank added, “To make playoffs, we need to be strong on both aspects of hitting and fielding…”

     The softball team lost three seniors, Lillian Smyth, Kaylee Morrison, and Makyla Johnson, but they were able to bring in eight freshmen to replace them. Another big loss the team faced was the loss of current senior Emilie Jones due to injury. Jones was the starting pitcher last season and heavily contributed to the team. In response to these losses, Frank added, “We have prepared by training a new pitcher, Sam Childs, and our underclassmen are filling in their positions.”

     The weather has been both teams’ biggest struggle so far this season. Both teams have had multiple games postponed or rescheduled. With these postponed games, the teams will have very crowded schedules to end the season and may struggle to maintain their stamina. To see these changes and make plans to support the teams, view the Eisenhower page of the Big Teams website. If you’re looking to see a game this spring, all home games are played at Werner Park for both teams. Away game locations can also be found on the Big Teams website, along with starting times. Good luck, Knights!