Although Parker’s softball team has celebrated major milestones in recent years—including a third consecutive win over Latin in 2023 and a record-setting season that earned them a banner in the main gym—the team is now in a period of transition. While its legacy of success continues to inspire players and fans alike (see Eva Vitacek’s “Softball Sweep” on The Weekly website), the program is working to build up its numbers and strengthen participation at both the JV and Varsity levels. Behind the scenes, Parker softball is evolving—balancing its strong past with the work of shaping a sustainable future.
One such struggle is interest, seeing as some years there haven’t been enough players for both a JV and varsity team.
“I started varsity as a second baseman for freshman to sophomore year. Sophomore year, we had enough girls to field two teams, so I was also the pitcher for JV. And then my junior year, we only had one team again, and I was starting center field, and then this year I’m the main pitcher for our varsity team,” senior Lola Yee said.
To field a full softball team you need a minimum of 9 players. This year, the team has 15 girls, which, according to senior Birdie Goldblatt is, “a decent amount for one team…definitely not enough for two teams.”
Furthermore, having only one softball team can affect the team dynamic.
“When you have a varsity and JV level, I think some of it is definitely skill, but also some of it’s commitment. There’s definitely varying levels of commitment to the team…when you have two teams, you can kind of adjust to the various levels of commitment a little bit better,” Goldblatt said.
Nonetheless, there are still upsides to softball having only one team. For example the cross grade connections it fosters.
“I’m pretty sure Birdie and I were the only freshman on the team… but I’m really happy to say that, now, as high school has gone on, we’ve seen a lot more underclassmen engagement. Our team this year, I believe, is majority underclassmen,” Yee said. “We have three new freshmen who have never played. There’s a bunch of sophomores on the team. And then I’m really happy to say, we even had a junior this year try out the sport.”
Goldblatt also notes that an importance to the single team dynamic is “enjoying it and making friends, like, building the connections between the more experienced upperclassmen and the newer underclassmen. It’s just also important for understanding the game and learning from each other.”
Goldblatt had experience playing softball outside of school through Oz Park, even playing for the organization’s travel league.
Yee had a different experience.
“Freshman year was my first year playing the sport ever,” Yee said.
She said she was brought into the softball program through her bond with a senior from volleyball when she was a freshman and she, “fell in love with the sport, loved the team, loved the environment. It’s absolutely amazing.”
