It’s a bright, sunny day, and 12 ecstatic girls come running from the locker room. 

“I want the softball uniforms with pants, not shorts,” one calls. They continue talking and laughing about how they represent Country Day’s first softball team.

The girls jog out to the field and meet up with their coach, Scott Galati. He throws them into a series of softball drills consisting of hitting, catching, and running.

“Our typical practice will involve drills, drills, and more drills to hammer in good mechanics,” Galati said.

Although the idea for a softball team has been in athletic director Matt Vargo’s mind for a few years, the plan wasn’t put in motion until Galati, father of freshman Madison, arrived.

In college Galati played baseball at the University of Nevada-Reno, and also fast-pitch softball on a men’s team. He played third base and catcher on both teams.

“The biggest challenge right now is that very few girls have softball experience, so we’re starting from scratch,” Galati said.

To work around this problem, Galati has set up optional skills sessions.

Although the season doesn’t start until early March, these practices are intended to jump start the program. 

“There is a full range of girls. There are girls that play outside of school, and girls that never swung a bat outside of P.E,” Vargo said.

Senior Rachel Nakano played T-ball when she was young, then took up softball at age 10, playng for a Davis rec team. She has played every position except for pitcher. 

“I do feel pressured to do everything perfectly to set a good example for those who haven’t played,” Nakano said. 

Madison has been playing softball since sixth grade. She plays second base and shortstop. 

Freshman Lyria Beck has never played softball before. Although she has little experience, the coach said that she is a great asset, because she is very fast. “I want to start the beginning of the team with a bang,” she said.

The team will play in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League, consisting of Sacramento Adventist, Faith Christian, New Life Christian, Valley Christian, Sierra Christian and North Hills.

The girls know they will be underdogs due to their inexperience, but still will look to find ways to compete. 

“We are a new team, without a lot of experience, so we will need to be creative to win,” Galati said.

Nakano hopes to see strong team unity. 

“I would like everyone on the team to be able to trust each other,” she said. “Teams that get along with each other normally have the most fun and do the best during games and tournaments.”

Galati is working with girls’ soccer coach George Champayne so girls can play both soccer and softball.

“The idea is to give another choice, but not to take anything away,” Galati said.

Beck is one of the students participating in softball and soccer. Although she knows she will be very busy, she is dedicated to playing both sports, and working her busy schedule out. 

“Practices will not always be intense,” Galati said. “Once the players are all in a good enough condition to prevent injury and run the bases aggressively, we will be working mostly on learning the tactics and strategy of the game.”