HELENA — So far this season the Carroll College softball team has traveled from Arizona to Oregon to Idaho, but the one place the Fighting Saints are yet to play is right here in Helena.
Head coach Shawna Suarez could not be happier to finally be playing in the Capital City.
“It’s excellent. We have been all over, and we travel a lot. I think there is something great about being home, that is just what you want. We are excited to be out here, and look around, it’s a beautiful place,” said Suarez.
Home games for the Saints (3-12-1) have been a long time coming since they began their spring season back in late January
While they only came away with three wins while on the road thus far, they have been up against some of the top teams in the country, many of whom are also in their conference as well.
“In our conference, the Cascade Conference, it is the best in the country, hands down the best. We currently have ... four (teams) are in the top 20, and one is receiving votes,” said Juarez.
The Saints also entered play this season as a pretty young squad, losing a handful of seniors last year. Now, this season they have only two.
One of those two seniors, first baseman Kaitlynn Ayers, has been playing a large role as a leader, and she believes the team will continue to grow and build momentum as the season progresses.
"Some of our expectations are to continue to grow as a team. We are really young, and so seeing each game as a learning opportunity and learning from our mistakes and improving will make us much more successful when we get later in the season," said Ayers.
The Saints will now look to continue this growth as they open up the home portion of their spring season schedule and play two doubleheaders at home against Bushnell (Oregon) this weekend. Friday’s first pitches are scheduled for 12 and 2 p.m. with Saturday’s being at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All games will be played at Carroll's home field at Centennial Park.
