Courtney Van Haaften | Sports Co-Editor

Samantha Engleman, a senior softball player from Hawarden, IA, started off her final season campaign with five hits, five RBI’s, and one homerun in their season opening series in Rosemount, Minn. The Beavers finished the weekend with a 1-5 record.

“This weekend was a good learning tool for us. We saw that there are areas we need to improve on, but also areas that show we’ve come a long ways from fall ball. I was very happy to see the amount of teamwork we displayed. I think we did a great job of picking each other up and playing as a team,” Engleman said.

Engleman states that the team needs to learn to stay strong throughout each game and be able to finish, as well as not leave runners stranded on base. Besides those reasons, spending some more time just competing on the field will bring the Beavers the results they are looking for.

“I think we have a great team and we get along really well. This season is definitely going to be fun. We are going to work hard to get to the conference tournament and show the conference how far we’ve come,” Engleman said.

Engleman, an infielder, will serve as a threat against other teams as the season continues. She has several years of experience on the team, knows the game, and her leadership is apparent to her teammates.

“Sam is a great leader. She pushes all of us to work hard in practice and lifts us up during games. She has a lot of knowledge about the game and would do anything for her teammates,” Jessica Stocker, a junior team member, said.

The softball team takes on Dordt College in a doubleheader in Storm Lake on Wednesday, March 19 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy of BVU Softball