Before the pandemic, having to work on conditioning at home through Zoom, run with face coverings and play only 12 games in a season would make athletes groan. Yet, after being kept off the field for nearly a year, the news they’d be playing games with these restricted guidelines in the spring brought joy to Chapman’s softball team.

Erin Coogan, a senior left fielder, couldn't be more excited at the chance to take her final trips around the bases. 

“We were all pretty hesitant about whether (a season) was going to happen or not, but as a senior, I’m really appreciative of the effort that is being made schoolwide ... to let us have a season,” Coogan said. “It’s awesome to have this opportunity to go out one last time and be with my teammates. I’m savoring the last year that I have here.” 

While Coogan looks to ride off into the sunset, freshman Simi Lauwers eagerly awaits her first season of college softball. After her senior season ended prematurely at Mountain View High School in Mountain View, California, Lauwers looks forward to playing with a new team.  

“When I was at home, my older sister, who’s also on the team, practiced with me, so I got a little taste of being on the team,” Lauwers said. “Now that we’re practicing, it’s been exciting to meet everyone even though we’ve been interacting during Zoom workouts.”

Throughout the fall, Coogan and her teammates met on Zoom three times a week to exercise together. The meetings kept not only their bodies in shape, but also kept up their morale, she said.

“With any college sport, there’s no real offseason. We usually practice and play and build team chemistry during the fall to prepare for our spring season,” Coogan said. “(The workouts) prepared us, kept us active, and motivated us.” 

Head softball coach Janet Lloyd made it a priority to ensure her players to stay active during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Because we had lost a season already, it wasn’t that hard to make them motivated and keep them in shape,” Lloyd said. “When (the athletic department) said we were good to (restart), we were ready.”

While the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) usually crafts a schedule from its eight teams and out-of-conference opponents, only three teams are participating in this pandemic-altered season. Chapman softball will be competing against California Lutheran University and University of Redlands six times apiece. Despite the repetitiveness of competition, Lloyd is looking forward to being back on the field. 

“What excites me is the fact that we finally get to play softball,” Lloyd said. “Most people would be disappointed that we only get 12 games. But at this point, we’re excited to play one.”