By HAILEY CHAPMAN
The Fort Hays State softball team is hosting a fall youth camp as well as four exhibition games in preparation for their 2020 season.
The fall camp is at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 22 at Tiger Stadium. Each participant will receive a shirt and is expected to bring a glove, tennis shoes, batting gloves, a helmet and a water bottle.
The camp will go until noon, at which point campers will be released for lunch, then return for full field practice. The camp is age specific for players in middle school looking to gain an extra edge on their competition.
The Tigers have added nine new players alongside 12 returners from different parts of the country. Players range from Kansas natives to Coloradan, Californian and Utah natives.
This year’s team has six seniors who are eager to lead the team to an MIAA conference tournament appearance. This all begins with their fall preparation, which began in early August.
The team participated in its second year of the OKC challenge for their first week back. This was made up of mental and physical barriers in order to strengthen the team’s bond.
The week was made up of a 3-mile country run, a triathlon, the seven innings challenge, flag football and a cross-campus obstacle course. It was meant to gauge the team’s current physicality and state of mind prior to four exhibition games.
The first game will be against Barton Community College on Sept. 28, followed by Colby on Oct. 5, Dodge City on Oct. 11 and the alumni game Oct. 12.
Registration for the fall camp as well as more information on fall and spring games can be found on the official FHSU athletics page.
Photos by Allie Schweizer; Graphic by Hailey Chapman