This week, the Carbondale Community High School softball team started their preseason workouts at the local superblock fields to prepare for the upcoming season. The team has had to adjust to several differences from their typical season. These include a delayed season start time and COVID-19 safety precautions.

“We are social distancing,” head coach Kim Wheeler shared. “When we have to be in the dugout, we let outfield go and then infield go. We are wearing our masks during workouts and doing the things we are supposed to do.”

Players are also taking extra precautions such as not sharing water bottles or other equipment as these items cause a potential path of transmission of the virus. These procedures have been put in place for the safety of the players and coaches to prevent any new cases of COVID-19 while playing ball.

In addition to these changes, the preseason workouts have started much later in the school year compared to previous seasons. Typically, the softball team can be seen in the weight room training and conditioning in the latter half of the first semester. Tryouts then occur in February. However, this year workouts began in March with tryouts to occur in April.

“We haven’t had as much time together to bond as a team and to work out together,” senior pitcher Kaitlyn Anders explained. “We are doing our best to adhere to COVID procedures so we can keep going and get to play this season.”

Many team members are looking forward to bonding as a team and working together to encourage one another though the season looks different to them. Even though there is less time than normal to do this, team members encourage one another continuously throughout the practice.

While the team has less time overall before the season compared to previous years, they are meeting together often to actively prepare. The team plans to meet three times a week for these workouts.

The team has roughly six weeks until their first scheduled game of the season against neighboring town, Carterville. The season will go through early June with 16 scheduled regular season games for this season.