To escape the snow and winter chill, West Chester University’s softball team will travel south for their first few games. Their season matches are scheduled to begin in two weeks.
After stopping at the University of Virginia for their first game on Friday, Feb. 19, they will head south to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to take on Merrimack College, Molloy College, Winston-Salem State University and the University of New Haven.
Their season will continue down south in N.C. and conclude in Clermont, Fla. during spring break.
Coach Diane Lokey, who enters her 12th season with the Golden Rams, feels that her team is ready for the road ahead of them.
In a recent preseason poll, the West Chester softball organization was picked to win the PSAC East Division over rival Kutztown.
Shippensburg was ranked to finish third, with Millersville and East Stroudsburg picked fourth and fifth.
This kind of ranking gives West Chester the confidence they need entering their season.
Senior third basemen Laura Altenburger, who was named PSAC Player of the Year in 2015, will make her return alongside loop’s Pitcher of the Year, Amanda Houck.
Houck, who was also named Freshman of the Year, finished the 2015 season with 19 wins and an ERA of 1.43.
The Golden Rams do not only succeed on the field, but also in the classroom.
In the fall, 22 girls received a GPA of 3.0 or higher, making their average team GPA just above a 3.4. This makes their goal of a team GPA of a 3.4 in the spring seem possible.
With these kinds of rankings, on and off the field, West Chester’s season is bound to be a successful one.
Monica Twardowski is a second-year student. She can be reached at MT814571@wcupa.edu.