Softball opens fall season with big win

The Troy softball team kicked off their fall ball season with an exhibition game against Georgia Tech, which the Trojans won 12-7. Fans and family turned out to support the Trojans and get an early look of what the team will bring in the regular season.  

“It was a nice day one fall scrimmage, for sure,” said head coach Eric Newell. “You know Georgia Tech plays tough, whether it’s spring or fall it doesn’t matter.  

“We get after one another and its always super competitive. I’m proud of our girls for getting 18 hits, and the pitchers that threw today were very competitive.” 

The exhibition game gave new players an opportunity to get their feet wet and gain good experience playing out a full game with their teammates. Over the offseason, the team has made many changes to their roster with seven new transfers and two freshmen.  

“It’s about controlling the controllables and today we fell down kind of early, but just kind of grinded out at bats, trusted the process and took care of business,” Newell said. 

Overall, Newell focused on the team’s resilience, grit and execution in the fall contest. 

“You have to show up every day, and you have to show up in every inning in these scrimmages,” Newell said. “It’s a good test for us this fall to build on things that we need to do in the springtime.” 

The fall season is used to provide developmental opportunities for each player, while also testing them in different situations. Despite the fall ball games being scrimmages, the Trojans approached each inning the same as they would if it were the regular season. 

With a young and revamped roster, the Trojans are aiming to use the fall season to sharpen their skills, build team chemistry and prepare before regular season play arrives in the spring. 

The Trojans will continue their fall ball season on Oct. 3 with another home exhibition against Northwest Florida following a matchup against Northeast Alabama at the Troy Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.