The hot August (and September, and October…) days are difficult to withstand here in Georgia. The sun leaves us burnt, exhausted, and drenched in sweat, causing us to detest even the thought of stepping outside. But the St. Pius X softball team is different. These girls not only survive the heat, they thrive in it. 

The girls hydrate throughout the day of course, but sometimes even that is just not enough to make it through two hours of hard work in the heat. 

“Depending on what the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature says, we usually just practice on the field,” senior Josie Lord said. “If that temperature is too high, we are forced to move to the indoor facilities. If it is a practice day in between games or a Friday practice, sometimes we only are indoors. We hit inside and the pitchers can pitch inside.”

Luckily, everyone has a personal motivation to get them through the tough days.

“I like practices so I do not need a lot of motivation, but I think my motivation is knowing we are working on things and getting better everyday,” Lord said.

For senior Caroline Dixon, the motivation is as simple as “knowing that at some point the practice has to end.” 

The girls work hard to get through the exhausting practices, but they also work hard for each other. 

“This is the first year we have gone to region playoffs, and our seniors have been working really hard to get to this point so I want to do well for them,” sophomore Elizabeth Hong said.

 As a second-year varsity player, Hong serves as a mediator between the new players and the veteran players. 

Lord is one of these veteran players and knows she’s looked to for leadership. 

“I try to lead the team by my actions and staying focused,” she said. “I always know what is going on and encouraging the rest of the team through words and cheer.” 

These girls not only work hard but know how to play hard, too. For example, when the team traveled to Chattanooga for a weekend tournament last month, Dixon said they took advantage of their time together as team.

“We always do something fun when we go to Chattanooga, whether it’s playing laser tag or bowling. This year, we played laser tag, which was a really fun way to do some team bonding,” she said. 

The team travels north to Ringgold, GA today for the first round of the state playoffs where they’ll face Heritage High School in a doubleheader at 4pm and 6pm.