Sophomore team wins intramural softball championship

Before sophomores at Oklahoma Christian University join clubs for intramurals, they compete one more time as a class in intramural softball. For the first time, this year’s sophomore women’s team won the softball intramural championship at Oklahoma Christian. 

Sophomore Kennedy Mattocks said the team was not able to practice before their first game against Gamma Rho, who she said was their toughest opponent. Because of this, she said expectations were low for the team entering the season. 

“Going into our first game we did not really know what to expect,” Mattocks said. “Our goal for the first game was to go out and do our best and more importantly have fun.” 

The sophomores beat Gamma Rho in the first game of the season. 

“We ended up winning by a substantial amount which fueled our spirits the rest of the season,” Mattocks said. 

The team continued to win after the first week, even beating teams by over 20 runs on a couple of occasions. Peyton Balbin said they caught other clubs by surprise and proved themselves over the course of the season. 

“I believe having the sophomore team do so well throughout the games showed that this class can do it all,” Balbin said. 

The sophomores met up with Gamma Rho again in the championship game, a rematch of game one when the sophomores took home the win. 

“It was nerve-wracking,” Mattocks said. “We knew they would come back harder since they lost to us in the first game.”

Yet the sophomores went on to beat Gamma Rho and win the championship. 

“What ultimately led us to victory was our determination and consistently keeping the game fun,” Mattocks said. 

Mattocks said they did not put pressure on themselves just because they were sophomores and no sophomore team before them had ever won. 

“We knew that win or lose we put our best on the field,” Mattocks said. 

Balbin said the sophomore team meant a lot to her. 

“I believe that having a sophomore team only brought together our sophomore class,” Balbin said. “We have become closer just over a sport and we gained respect for each other.” 

The championship softball game was the last opportunity for sophomore women to all play on the same team before they joined a club.“We might not all be on the same team or club but what I do know is that this sophomore team will always remember the fun times and plenty of laughs we shared together,” Balbin said.