Our sport is a sport of failure. Teaching mental toughness in those moments means helping them realize that their value isn't tied to a scoreboard. It's about how they respond when things don't go the way they expect.”

Head Coach Becca Sorenson

Up next:

The ladies will enjoy a few days off before heading to Simley on Apr. 25. They complete the three-game road trip on Apr. 28 when they travel to Tartan. The Raiders return home as part of a five-game week first hosting Woodbury on Apr. 29, then hosting Mahtomedi on Apr. 30.

A major, yet difficult factor in the success of high school sports is limiting strings of losses and the Raiders nipped their first two losses from the previous week quickly with a 10-1 thumping of North St. Paul on Apr. 15 and then a shutout win, 8-0, over Eastview on Apr. 18. The back-to-back wins move Hastings to 4-2 for the season which puts them in second in the Metro East Conference behind Hill-Murray who is 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the MEC with the Raiders at 3-1 in the MEC.
It is easy to get caught up in the wins and losses for a varsity season. Afterall, the varsity level is where you have a chance to win a state championship, but coaching student athletes is still about the student first and a big part of coaching students is teaching them live lessons.
“Honestly those are the moments that matter most in coaching. Our sport is a sport of failure. Teaching mental toughness in those moments means helping them realize that their value isn't tied to a scoreboard. It's about how they respond when things don't go the way they expect. We talk a lot about controlling the controllables - attitude, effort and how you treat your teammates. Losses and mistakes are bound to happen - and will happen again this season. What defines us is what we do next. So, we acknowledge the disappointment, learn from it and refocus, knowing that the next pitch or the next play we have a new opportunity to correct,” said Head Coach Becca Sorenson.
Versus North St. Paul
Prior to the game, the Raiders welcomed their 10U sisters into the fold. Each varsity player was joined by one or two of their little sisters from the 10-year-old and younger team. Each of the players and their little sisters were announced as they ran out to the field together before the start of the game. The varsity players also had a gift for each of the girls, an autographed softball.
“This is all about the next generation of Hastings softball. Little Raider Night is one of the most important of the season for me as a coach. Not just because it's fun, but because it plants seeds for the future of our program. It builds connections. It makes them feel like they are already a part of something bigger. They start dreaming about the day they'll wear that uniform for real and it gives them role models to look up to. For our varsity players, it's a reminder of where they started too. It teaches them to lead, to give back and understand that they aren't just playing for themselves - they are setting the standard for those coming through the Raiders Softball program behind them,” explained Sorenson.
Hastings took the early lead in the first inning and never looked back. With two outs, Haley Strain hit a single through the left field gap. Strain was replaced on the bases by Lilah Gessner thanks to the courtesy runner rule. Clare Reider then crushed a double to center, scoring Gessner to put the Raiders up 1-0 in the first. That lead held until the third inning when the Hastings bats took over.
Sienna McCoy had a lead off walk to start the third inning and Leighton Robinson followed McCoy’s walk with a well hit ball to first base. The Polar’s first baseman mishandled the ball, allowing Robinson to reach safely on the error and McCoy took advantage of the mistake by advancing to third. With second base open, the Raiders appeared to try a delayed steal which resulted in Robinson advancing to second for the stolen base, but McCoy held on to third out of caution, a decision that paid off. Reider then had her second hit of the game scoring both McCoy and Robinson.
With the 3-0 lead and only one out, Hastings piled it on. Addie Seleski hit a single advancing Reider to second and a ground ball by Lauren Meyer to right center scored Reider from second and bumped Seleski up a base. Seleski stole third and a single by Rachel Notch advanced both runners, scoring Seleski and moving Meyer to third. Meyer later scored on a passed ball and heads-up base running to give the Raiders five runs in the third and a 6-0 lead.
Hastings scored another run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to put 10 on the scoreboard. Going into the sixth, Strain had the shutout going from the mound, but a couple of well-placed grounders gave the Polars their only run in the top of the sixth inning to break up the shutout before Hastings rallied to win 10-1.
Strain was again masterful on the mound facing 27 batters with eight strikeouts and only one walk. Offensively, Hastings returned to producing well-timed bunches of hits, tallying 13 total hits for the game. Those thirteen hits were also very productive in the run column. Seleski led the way going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, Reider and Notch both had a 2-for-4 performance with their hits each driving in three RBIs.
Versus Eastview
The game against Eastview began slightly differently from the Raider’s previous outing. The first two innings the teams were each held at bay by two solid pitchers, Elise Dormody for the Lightning and Haley Strain for the Raiders.
Despite Dormody’s early success, the Raiders first batters of the order were able to help the eight and nine hitters know what to expect through great team communication. At the start of third inning, the Raiders timed up Dormody and once again, they took advantage.
Ella Carlson forced a full count from Dormody and on the sixth pitch she hit a fly ball to the gap in left center that fell in for a single. Lily Watts drove the ball deep into the left-center gap, giving Hastings runners at first and second. McCoy blooped the ball into right field to score Carlson and Hastings had runners on the corners with no one out. After a routine fly out, Strain hit a grounder to short scoring Watts on the 6-3 (shortstop to first base force) ground out. The inning ended with Hastings logging two runs to take the lead 2-0.
The Raiders scored two more in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth to go up 8-0. The total team effort on defense earned the first shutout of the season. Strain had another great showing on the mound and the Raider defense was once again stout in the field behind Strains seven strikeout performance against the 29 batters faced.
Things went well for the Raiders this week with two important wins, something that Coach Sorenson recognizes from the start.
“Offensively, we are hitting the ball well at every slot in the line-up. We keep the defense on their toes with every batter. One thing we are dialing in this season is being versatile and strategic at the plate in every at bat and on the bases, and that hard work is paying off. Defensively, we did exceptional this week at not letting a mistake, whether physical or mental, snowball into multiple,” she said.
Even when things are going well, there are always opportunities to work on or build on something, that something is being even more versatile at the plate and continuing communication on defense according to Sorenson.
Confidence and Depth is Key
On the mound, Strain always does a great job keeping hitters off balance, but it is the depth of the Raiders defense that adds the exclamation point to her pitching. She does not need to worry about being perfect, she can just go out there and throw and if a ball gets put in play, it’s no big deal.
“Our defense is sharp, making tough plays look routine, communicating well and backing each other up. The outfield has covered a lot of ground and made some big catches in pressure situations. When you have defense like that it gives Haley more confidence and freedom in the circle to attack hitters knowing her team has her back,” added Sorenson.
“Offensively, what I've loved about this group is our depth,” said Sorenson. “We don't rely on just one or two kids to carry the load. Top to bottom, everyone has stepped up in different moments. We've had clutch hits all over the lineup and it keeps the other team's defense guessing. But beyond the stats, what happens in the dugout matters too. Everyone has a role that is valuable to team success, even if you're not seeing many innings in the field. The girls on the bench are working just as hard helping the defense and offense prepare in practices and be anticipating situations in games. The energy, the encouragement and the way the kids celebrate each other and pick each other up after tough moments is something special. As a team, we are seeing how those things matter just as much as executing a play physically. They're constantly talking about what pitches they're seeing, cheering on the next hitter and staying locked in. That's the kind of culture that makes a good team great.”
It is always interesting to watch the bench for a few minutes during a contest. What are the kids doing on the bench? Are they coaching each other up? Absorbing what their peers and coaches are saying? Seeing the engagement on the bench is really telling and these girls are engaged.
Softball versus Baseball pitching
Keen readers maybe asking, how is it that one softball pitcher can pitch every game when baseball pitchers are forced to rest a certain number of days based on the number of pitches they throw. That was certainly a question asked in the very first year of covering softball and it is an important one to give the answer too, even if it can be a bit of an in-depth answer.
Baseball pitching and softball pitching are two completely different motions. The mechanics of pitching a baseball are completely different and quite unnatural motions when it comes to the way our bodies are designed to move. All the torque of a baseball pitch is placed on the elbow, a joint that is not designed to rotate. That is the number one reason why you hear so much about pitching injuries for baseball and nothing about pitching injuries in softball.
Pitching a softball underhand is mechanically natural for the body. All the torque is applied to the entire arm in a natural position. Have you ever swung a bucket around like an underhand pitch? Remember how the centrifugal force forced your arm straight, but it did not hurt? That is because all the rotation happens in the shoulder, a joint designed to rotate.
For both sports, the various pitches move based on how the pitcher grips the ball and the hand movement when the ball is released. The slight twisting action in softball does very little to the rest of the arm because the entire arm is in a straight line, where a twist in the hand for baseball can add more torque and twisting at the elbow.
That does not mean that anyone can just go out and throw 130 pitches on Monday then come back and do the same on Tuesday. Let’s remember, these kids are athletes, and they train hard to have that resilience and the right form to keep their arm safe.
Up Next
The Raiders look to keep the win streak going against the South St. Paul Packers, under the lights at Kaposia Landing Fields in South St. Paul for the rare night game at 7:00 p.m. on April 22. The ladies will enjoy a few days off before heading to Simley on Apr. 25. They complete the three-game road trip on Apr. 28 when they travel to Tartan. The Raiders return home as part of a five-game week first hosting Woodbury on Apr. 29, then hosting Mahtomedi on Apr. 30. They get a day off before travelling to Two Rivers on May 2, then they return home to finish off the week against South St. Paul. All but the first game listed are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. start times.
As a quick heads up, Tartan High School is undergoing a major construction project and as of the last visit to the school, the parking lot closest to the softball field closed as a result. Give yourself plenty of time to walk to the field, and if you have family or friends going with limited mobility, plan a safe drop off point close to the field.