Last softball season, eight seniors graduated—including their star pitcher Zoe Prystajko. After coming off of an 18-8 season and placing second in the Sunset League, here’s what Huntington Beach High School’s (HBHS) girls softball team is expecting for the new year.
Jeff Forsberg, the head coach of the varsity softball team, is excited for the upcoming season.
Forsberg said, “I am excited to see what our young group can mend with our older group of kids… to see where the program will go with a new chapter of kids coming through. I think we will do really well… we have a good mix of players at all different ages [and] some good leadership. Our younger kids are extremely talented.”
With three freshmen coming in and nine seniors leaving, this ratio could be really beneficial with having a lot of experience from the seniors on the field.
“Each year the seniors leaving always make an impact on the team. Last year’s seniors brought a lot of experience that was needed. This year’s seniors hopefully will look up to those seniors and carry that leadership and be good team leaders as we move through the season,” said Forsberg.
If the HBHS seniors lead the younger players in the right direction, the team will be more connected and have each other’s back on and off the field.
Morgan Drotter, senior and captain of the team said, “On the field Coach Jeff comes up with a weekly plan and we focus on hitting or defense work. We try to keep practices light so mentally we are not freaking out and don’t freeze up on the field when we start playing league games. Off the field we do a lot together like team bondings, dinners and hangouts.”
Willow Kellen, a sophomore, who’s also on the team, said, “I think that this season will turn out good if we just stay within ourselves and all buy in.”
Focus, being present in the moment, and playing for each other are absolutely crucial in softball. If the HBHS softball team does that this season, they will be unstoppable moving forward in the 2024-2025 season. HBHS students are excited to see what this dedicated team will achieve this year.
