As the MBU women’s softball team has been on the road for nearly two months this season, all this travel time has brought the players closer together.
The Missouri Baptist University women’s softball team has been on the road for six consecutive weekends, and the Spartans’ season is just getting started.
The team has competed in tournaments across five states: Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida and Kansas.
This schedule has the potential to completely overwhelm a student-athlete.
Often leaving on Wednesday afternoon and not returning until late Sunday afternoon means that softball players have missed multiple classes each week.
Bella Skibinski, a sophomore third baseman majoring in biology education, has made communication with her professors during these absences a top priority.
Skibinski’s course load is heavy with science classes, particularly labs.
During the spring of her freshman year, Skibinski missed all but two Friday afternoon lab sessions during the semester due to her sport.
Skibinski’s intentional communication forged a respectful relationship with her professor.
Skibinski said her professor told her that because he had been shown grace in his own life, he tries to extend that same grace to others.
Even with ample communication, some course loads are not conducive to the rigorous spring travel season.
Madison Sherry, a freshman pitcher majoring in special education, has been overwhelmed at times this season.
“Trying to balance eight classes when I’m never in class is hard, so I’ve been a bit behind,” said Sherry. “I’m trying to still get caught up from Florida and other weekends, but it’s slowly getting back on track,”
Sherry said unreliable Wi-Fi on vans and in hotel rooms makes it nearly impossible to complete homework during the limited time players have away from the field each day.
Josephine Wozniak, a freshman infielder majoring in sports management, said most of their days are spent on the field from 10 a.m to 7 p.m.
“Whenever we travel, we get there, we practice, then we get to the hotel, we go to bed, and then we get up, and we have to go straight to the fields all day,” said Wozniak.
This intense schedule often leaves little room for life outside of softball and school.
Wozniak, however, has been able to balance her social life outside of these responsibilities.
“As soon as I step off the softball field, softball’s not a thought. I’m thinking of what I’m doing, like, going to hang out with friends, going to see my family or something like that,” said Wozniak. “Softball is a big priority, but whenever you get to the field, it’s all softball. When you get off the field, you can branch out and do whatever you want. You just have to have that mindset that you’re here to play softball, but you’re also here to grow up in your life, and you need to experience a social life outside of softball as well.”
The close knit family dynamic of the team makes it easier for freshmen players like Alivia Harris, Abigail Sherry and Mia Witte to balance softball with their social lives.
They are spending most of every day with their best friends.
Harris said that she enjoys every aspect of the season because she loves both playing softball and spending time with her friends.
Abigail Sherry said her favorite part of the season has been the bus rides, each lasting at least six hours.
“I know they’re long, but I like the van rides because we’re all around each other so we all can just interact with each other. Those are always fun,” said Sherry.
Witte said she enjoys the pregame experience with her teammates, playing music while doing each other’s hair and tying bows.
Despite the missed class periods and long days of travel and games, the MBU softball team has become a family that enjoys its time together both on and off the field.
