Over the 2017 Spring Break, the Buena Vista University (BVU) softball team headed to Clermont, Florida. The team geared up for 12 games over the week in the tropical state.

Senior outfielder Marissa Schmidt, was ready to get out of the Iowa weather for some playing time without layers to stay warm.

“There’s no way you can prepare to play in the Florida heat in Iowa,” Schmidt said, “Our athletic training staff and coaching staff kept reminding us that we had to stay hydrated which helped us stay healthy while playing in the heat.”

Senior catcher Cheyanne Boland thought the Beavers did as much preparation as they possibly could.

“Due to the cold weather and lack of humidity, it was tough to prepare,” Boland said, “What we did do was practice even harder and add conditioning into our practices and workouts.”

The Beavers began their trip with two victories on day one. The first came against Carthage College, with a score of 5-2. The highlight of the game was a two-run home run by Boland. The second win of the day came against Benedictine University with a score of 11-2. Junior pitcher Moriah Guyett improved her record to 2-0 after her complete-game against Benedictine.

On day two, the Beavers split the day. BVU began with a 10-0 victory over Elmhurst College. Junior pitcher Keely Bycroft led the Beavers with a complete game shutout. She then helped at the plate going 4 for 4, including a home run. The Beavers finished the day suffering their first loss of the season to Hope College 6-0.

Moving to day three, the Beavers split the day again. They first came up short in extra innings against Buffalo State College, losing 5-4. The Beavers bounced back with a 13-1 victory over MCLA. Guyett allowed just three hits in her complete-game effort.

As day four rolled around, again the Beavers split the day. They began the day with a 6-0 victory over Colby College. Junior outfielder Kennedy Colvert led the team with 3 RBIs. BVU ended the day with a 5-1 loss to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

The Beavers continued in the same fashion, and split their games on day five. The team began the day with a 5-0 loss to St. Catherine University. BVU bounced back to end the day with a 1-0 thrilling win against St. Olaf College. Freshman second-baseman Mckynze Hansen batted in the only run in the Beaver’s victory.

On the final day of the team’s Spring Break trip, the Beavers dropped a heart breaker in extra innings 11-10 to Hendrix College. However, BVU bounced back to take a victory for their final game of the Florida trip. The team defeated The College of Wooster 7-0. Freshman first-baseman Abbey Youngren and  sophomore third-baseman Taylor Frain both tabbed 2 RBIs in the game for the Beavers.

Boland’s favorite part about this trip was the quality time she got to spend with people close to her

“The best part about this trip was being able to spend my final spring break with my best friends and family playing the game that I love,” Boland said.

While Schmidt said the team had fun spending time with each other and their families that made the trip down, she was more thankful for the good competition.

“We definitely had to dig deep in some of our games,” Schmidt said, “It was good to play hard teams down in Florida, because we won’t have an easy game for the rest of the year.”

Boland agreed that the competitive games against nationally-ranked teams were exactly what the team needed heading into conference play.

“Our conference is notoriously one of the best DIII softball conferences in the country with great bitching, hitting, and defense,” Boland said, “The competition helped us build confidence and work through different pressure situations, and better prepared us for the tough games that we will face in the month of April.”

As the Beavers travelled back to Iowa, the team opened up Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) play on April 1 with a DH against Loras College. The Beavers took the first game 3-2. The game went to extra innings, and in the bottom of the 10th, Schmidt drove home the game tying run, with Hansen following with an RBI for the-winning run.

In the second game against the Duhawks, the Beavers fell 8-3. This left the Beavers at 1-1 in the IIAC.

Schmidt felt the IIAC opener was a good start for the Beavers, but knows they have a lot of work to do continuing into the bulk of their season.

“The competition in conference play is only going to get tougher as we move on. I expect us to rise up to the challenge and compete against these top-ranked teams,” Schmidt said.

On April 2, the Beavers travelled to Minnesota-Morris for a DH, and swept the day. The Beavers took the first game 12-6 and the second game 8-1.

Boland has nothing but excitement for the Beavers moving forward in the season.

“We are a great team and I have confidence in all 22 of my teammates and coaches that we will get the job done,” Boland said, “I believe that big things are about to happen for the BVU softball team.”

The Beavers sit at 12-6 overall (1-1 IIAC) and continue IIAC play on Tuesday, April 4 against Coe College at 3 and 5 p.m.