STUDENT LIFE I INTERNATIONAL I SOCIAL CLUBS I ACADEMICS I PEOPLE I LEADERSHIP I ATHLETICS I ORGANIZATIONS EARN YOUR RUNS A young Lady Bisons softball team found success in team values and culture. The 2018 Lady Bisons softball team had the most freshmen on their roster since their inaugural season in 2014. Even though over half the roster consisted of freshmen, the team was not slowed down. They finished the season with a 32-26 overall record. A big reason for their success was having three pitchers who finished the season in the top 14 for lowest earned run average (ERA) in the Great American Conference (GAC). Two of these pitchers were sophomores Emily Garrett and Emma Dwyer, who were both led by red-shirt senior pitcher Amanda Berry. Garrett attributed a lot of her success to the team around her. "I am not a kind of pitcher that will overpower the other team," Garrett said. "I'm not going to throw it by you. I'm probably the slowest pitcher on staff, so getting ground balls and fly balls and trusting that my defense is going to make the play is definitely why I had success." Garretc finished the season with the ninth-lowest ERA in the conference. She was grateful to go through her first year with fellow first-year pitcher, Dwyer, who was 14th on the list. Garrett and Dwyer spent a lot of time together and shared many of the same emotions. "Me and Emma actually lived together last year, so we shared frustrations," Garrett said. "We just shared the whole experience. So, there would be days that we would get so frustrated leaving the bullpen, and it was nice having somebody experience what I was experiencing and being new at it. Ir was really nice to have someone share that with, who would understand." Both pitchers relied on each other throughout the season and were aided by Berry, who finished the season with the seventh-lowest ERA in the conference. Berry stepped into a leadership role and was proud of how Garrett and Dwyer responded. 'They were both great," Berry said. "They were really receptive to learning, and they weren't afraid of the challenge of becoming an everyday starter. As a freshman, you can be really overwhelmed by that. I remember I kind of felt that way. They both stepped up really well, and they were great leaders to the team." Head Softball Coach Phil Berry led the Lady Bisons to sixth place in the GAC in his fifth year as head coach. Phil Berry said one of the hardest aspects of having such a young ream was getting everyone on the same page. He explained how the players came from all over the country and were taught how to play in different ways. The players needed to adjust to the coaching. Phil Berry knew that if the team bought into each other and the culture of getting better every day, the team would be successful. "For us, a successful culture is not always measured in wins and losses; it's measured in the process vof the journey," Phil Berry said. "They bought into getting a little bit better every day. We talked about sticking to our core values and our program chat [revolves] around commitment to each other. And I think even though we were very young last year, it was a group that bought into that very quickly." story by Jacob Broyles Sophomore Emily Garrett winds up a pitch on Sept. 25, 2018, atJerry Moore Field. The 2018 Lady Bisons softball team had nine freshmen ofany softball team, the second-most ofany team at Harding only behind the 2014 inaugural season, which had 12. I photo by Sterling McMichael Sophomore Emma Dwyer pitches the ball on Sept. 25, 2018, atJerry Moore Field. The Lady Bisons finished 32-26 overallfor the 2018 season and went 22-22 in the Great American Conference. I photo by Sterling McMichael Senior Amanda Berry follows through on a pitch on Sept. 25, 2018, at Jerry Moore Field. Berry finished the season with a team-low earned runs average of2. 63. I photo by Sterling McMichael Sophomore Emma Dwyer, senior Amanda Berry and sophomore Emily Garrett take the mound on Sept. 25, 2018, atJerry Moore Field. The team finished strong in the Great American Conference tournament upsetting both Henderson State and Southeastern Oklahoma. I photo by Sterling McMichael 222
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