Players' perspective - First 2023 Softball Tournament by Ola Zielińska

The first tournaments of each season are as exciting as they are stressful. Not only can you see how the team worked off-season, what line-up will play in a given year and thus what level will be in the entire league. The situation of the squads in the Polish league is very dynamic, and not only because of foreign reinforcements. Although we felt motorically and technically prepared, we went to the inauguration of the season without our 2 best pitchers and key players, which aroused a slight anxiety in us. Fortunately, it was unfounded.

The tournament did not go the way we would like it to - not because of the results or our dispositions, but because the weather did not spoil us and our first match was postponed to Sunday. On Sunday morning, rested, we returned to the field ready to play.

We started the first match against Żory by scoring 14 points in the first substitution, which dictated the pace of the match until the very end. Effective rebounding of the whole team and good defense meant that the match ended with a score of 21:3 in the 4th inning due to the point advantage. It was one of the highest scores achieved by our team since I can remember. It was great to see the effects of the overworked winter - dozens of hours of technical training in the gym, running training and gym.

In good moods after winning, we approached the second game - this time against the team from Warsaw, i.e. the best team of the last season. Just like in the game against Żory, Kamila Bilińska (Panthers' first batter) started the match well at bat, followed by all the rest. All 4 changes were thrown by Maja Zmyślona, ​​who, together with flawless defense, did not allow the opponents to score a single point. The outstanding Saturday match that moved the schedule will be played as part of one of the upcoming PLSK tournaments.

We came back from the tournament in a very good mood, because last season didn't quite go our way. It was great to feel the taste of victory again and be the only team to come home with a complete record of victories. We hope to maintain this streak and return to the top step of the Polish Championship podium. Already 2 days after the games, we returned to training and we can't wait for the next game-weekend, which will also take place in Kutno, where as many as 5 tournaments of the 2023 season will be held.

And on June 10-11, a week after the Wrocław-American weekend (the inauguration of the European League of Football season, the Panthers Lacrosse tournament, the Polish Ultimate Frisbee Championship), we will also play a home tournament on the pitch at 6 Niepodległości Street. Soon we will know all the details, but on behalf of the whole section, I invite everyone to cheer!