Tatum Curran

Emme Shapiro (11) bats against Parkway North High School. The game took place Sept. 26 and ended in a 14-1 victory for the rams. “A big part of softball is the mental game, especially when it comes to these high stake games,” Shapiro said. “Our goal for this game and the rest of the season is to come out mentally strong.”

The Girls Softball team will play their first district tournament game Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. against Parkway West High School at the Chesterfield Baseball and Softball Association field.

As of Oct. 15, they have an 11-8 record and Parkway West has a record of 21-5. Emme Shapiro (11) has played softball for Ladue all of high school and is a centerfielder.

“[To prepare], we are making our movements faster and cleaner,” Shapiro said. “Whether it’s getting the ball in our glove faster, or changing our hand position so we can just get the ball in our hand a bit faster, seconds really count in softball.”

Perfecting little details like these can be very impactful to the outcome of the entire game. Technical ability aside, the team must also be connected in order to perform well.

“We built a playlist together for [before] games, and we also have a specific chant that we do,” Shapiro said. “It’s ‘rams on three’ and then ‘family on six’, so it’s a little bit different from other teams’ chants. We do that for the closeness of our team.”

In many school sports, it can be difficult for teams to maintain this bond during the offseason when there are no games and limited practices. 

“[Throughout the season] we’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger as a whole,” Shapiro said. “It’s always a little rocky at the start of the season because we haven’t played with each other for months.”

Playing multiple games a week and practicing every day brings the team closer together and encourages uplifting friendships between teammates, leading to a cohesive playing style by the end of the season.

“We have good chemistry on the field and pick each other up, but we also stay very structured and disciplined while playing,” Shapiro said.

Softball is a team game yet very individual. Going into high stakes games, like the one against Parkway West, each player must maintain a positive mentality in order to benefit the greater group. 

“If you’re not in a good head space, it’s very easy to psych yourself out and mess up,” Shapiro said. “It’s most important to have a strong mental space and just move forward if there is a mistake.”