A welcomed sigh of relief

 

Fun and trying to find some of it over the past few months?

Mullen softball head coach Dave Atencio can relate. He and his staff hosted the Mustangs’ second OTA (Organized Team Activity) on a bright and toasty Wednesday morning on campus and there wasn’t one complaint.

In fact, there wasn’t even a hint or thought toward one.

“To be back on the dirt … are you kidding me?” the coach asked. “It’s definitely a lot of fun.”

Reuniting as the basis for the team that Mullen will field in 2020, Wednesday’s group also included seniors and underclassmen among the hopefuls, and there was a common theme – it was uplifting to be back on the field together after the coronavirus (COVID-19) turned most everyone’s world upside down in March.

“Oh, yeah, it’s nice,” left-side infielder Maggie Bertsch said. “It’s so nice to see all of the girls and be back at Mullen in a good environment.”

Second base-outfielder Joliana Encinias pronounced herself “super excited to be playing my senior year and it’s fun to be out here with the girls. It’s a blast.”

For Lucia Hurtado, first base and right field, “it’s just great to see everybody … if we put in the work and we put in our time, we’ll be a good team.”

Outfielder Madelyn Bertsch, like other Mustangs, managed to play a bit of club ball, “but it was a short season … it’s just exciting to be out here. It has been a long couple of months.”

Catcher Avery Panozzo, who seemed happy to sport full gear despite the sun and heat, said “I’m so happy to have Coach Atencio here and bringing back all of the Mullen coaches (assistants Greg Hogan and Tony Lopez, who also were Mustangs head coaches). And I’m very excited to work with the girls, great ladies who are going to improve so much.”

Officially, preseason practice for fall won’t happen until Aug. 10 and the first game won’t be until Aug. 13. And it all could be modified or canceled before or after with a spike in COVID-19 as changes seem to occur by the day.

However, for at least a couple of get-togethers and workouts, nothing negative mattered to the Mustangs.

“Obviously, these girls are bigger and stronger,” Atencio said. “It’s a good nucleus. I like what I see. It’s just the second practice, but they’re determined, they’re focused.”

And they’re back to playing.