With a 3 – 0 – 1 start to the year, the Pella Christian softball team has found ways to win ballgames despite not having a clear-cut number one starting pitcher. In fact, Coach Nate Van Wyk and his assistants came up with the idea of having his girls pitch by committee throughout the season. The idea is simple, Van Wyk says; each girl faces nine batters, or lasts one trip through the order. Each girl knows that they have to face nine batters and then the next pitcher comes in to do the same thing until the end of the game. The Eagles’ head coach says it is a mindset that the team has bought into, and was brought to the table by Coach Karen Harrell. Van Wyk added that the girls know they have an end goal in mind of who they have to face and they have to do as well as they can before they hand it off to their teammates. He said that the girls know that when they come out of the game, it’s not because they did poorly, it’s because they did their job and they’ve accepted their role and now it’s time for their colleagues to come in and do the same. The Eagles will start conference play this week; first playing Albia on Tuesday, and then hosting Oskaloosa for a doubleheader on Wednesday.

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