Coach: Kathy Crudo.
Last season: 14-11 overall, lost in Section 7AAA championship.
Key returnees: Senior captains Hannah Bernier, Peyton Verdon and Erin Pederson; sophomores Abby Pfeifer and Kaytlin Hammond, freshman Aubrey Charpentier.
Outlook: After losing a handful of seniors from a team that advanced to the Section 7AAA title game, the North Branch softball squad has seven seniors who will look to make an immediate impact. Crudo is eager to get to work with several key returnees for the Vikings this year.
“Our veteran captains will be players to watch for: Bernier, Pederson, and Verdon,” Crudo said. “Pfeifer, Charpentier and Hammond will also be big producers for us, both offensively and defensively.”
Crudo said good health will be one factor toward the team’s success.
“Keys to success will be to keep everyone healthy and passionate about the game,” she said. “We will also need to be less worried about our own personal stats and more focused on team success.”
Crudo said dealing with a busy workload will also be a factor.
“Our challenges will be just like everyone else’s: playing upwards of six games in a week,” she stated. “I think coming mentally prepared for each game and not trying to make our at bats harder than they are is big.
“I think often our kids try to do too much; and being that the game is so mental, it ends up hurting the individuals.”
Crudo wants to ensure that none of her athletes take anything for granted.
“The goal for this season is to compete with everyone and leave absolutely nothing behind. Not taking an at bat, pitch, game, and so on for granted,” she said. “I want our kids to show up every single day and truly love the game and their teammates.”
The Vikings began their season with an 11-1 rout of conference opponent Big Lake on Tuesday, April 9.
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