Springtime is near, and with the arrival of the season comes a shift in the sports world; it’s time to break out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks while you root, root, root for the home team.
The Allan Hancock College women’s softball team started play in February and will begin conference play on March 10 against Pierce College. The team is currently 2-4, but according to freshman pitcher/utility player Ashley Spencer, the team has talent. Working out all the kinks should translate into more wins on the field, she said.
“We have enough talent on the team to do very well,” Spencer told the Sun. “We pretty much all get along; there is no drama on this team.”
Spencer has played the game nearly all her life—or the past 14 years, if you want to get specific. She’s had success at the high school (Pioneer Valley) and club level (Express and Extreme) and hopes to do the same at the junior college level.
It’s not going to be easy, even for a three-team All-League pitcher, but Spencer is making the necessary adjustments.
“I’m putting in more than I ever have into a sport. If you don’t challenge yourself, you’re not going to get anywhere,” she explained.
Spencer hopes to parlay her softball skills into a college scholarship. She plans on majoring in early childhood studies, working primarily with special-education kids.
This article appears in Mar 3-10, 2011.