Discovery Canyon softball earning its keep in the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference
COLORADO SPRINGS — Sometimes the Thunder can be heard before the lightning is seen.
That’s certainly the case for the Discovery Canyon softball team as the Thunder has started making noise in the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference, and the rest of the state is taking notice.
Discovery Canyon started the season the way that all but 10 teams do: unranked. Oh sure, they were receiving votes and nearly broke into the CHSAANow.com preseason top 10. But they just didn’t quite get enough love.
And their play early in the season didn’t help. The Thunder (9-4 overall, 3-1 PPAC) dropped three of its first five games. Meanwhile, conference foe Vista Ridge went on an impressive run to start the season, jumping into the polls very quickly.
But Tanya Ramsay’s team didn’t let any of that bother them. Starting with a 3-0 win over Ponderosa, the Thunder won six straight game to earn a spot in this week’s rankings at No. 9.
“We have four teams (in our league) that are right in the top 20,” Ramsay said. “It’s tough and everybody is battling right now and I think records are starting to level out a little bit. We’re just winning the day.”
Win the day. That’s the rally cry that Ramsay has her team focused on. She’s not worried about a game against Air Academy that’s a week down the road, she’s only focused taking care of the task at hand. It’s a philosophy that her players have adopted.
“We’re all really connected and we have a lot of heart,” sophomore pitcher Corah Price said. “it doesn’t matter what age you are, it just matters how much you’re willing to commit. I think this team has that. We all connect and help each other and just go out and win the day.”
Unfortunately for the Thunder, the second it broke into the top 10, it dropped a hard 1-0 game to Falcon, a game that Ramsay would only call “great.”
“It was great, it was a pitching duel,” Ramsay said. “Any day, anybody can come out and win in this league. The thing is, we want to come out and play those types of games because in the end we’re going to be playing tough teams.”
For a team that is built with mostly sophomores and juniors, the Thunder is playing like a team that has been bonding for several years. The on-field chemistry is a huge reason for the success the team has had, especially in the four league games that they played.
Discovery Canyon lost five seniors from last years team, but has played through 2015 unfazed with the departures and is keeping up a winning pace that they set last year when they finished the season 20-3.
“It’s a lot more fun for me this year because I’m playing a lot more for the team,” senior shortstop Kailee Clark said. “This is the most connected team I’ve ever been on. I think that helps a lot with chemistry. It’s great to play with these kinds of girls.”
The Thunder still has a full slate of league games remaining including a highly anticipated matchup against No. 5 Air Academy.
