Four wins, two losses and a tie was how the new UBC Okanagan women’s softball team opened their season.
Over the Labour Day weekend, the Heat hosted the Western Collegiate Softball Association season kick-off, their inaugural games after the team was formed and rostered within the past few months.
Head coach Joni Frei said she was pleased both with the results and the turnout.
“It all came to fruition this weekend,” said Frei.
“I feel like it was a total success. The girls played fantastic and it was a team effort that goes beyond the core.
“From the coaches to the volunteers, it was an impressive way to start the season.”
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The Heat opened their season with a tough loss to the Calgary Dinos, last year’s conference champs.
From there, they got their feet beneath them and began working and playing as a team, said Frei.
The team won their next three games against teams from Lethbridge and Victoria universities.
Coming together in such a short time, the Heat didn’t 100 per cent know what to expect from themselves and from the competition.
Now, with games under their belt and an idea of how to improve, UBC Okanagan has plenty of work to do.
“We had no clue how it was going to go and so now the fun starts,” said Frei.
“We’re excited about the work that’s ahead of us now.
“We spent the last few weeks creating a culture and getting to know each other and now we know where we stand, where we’re headed and what it looks like we need to do in order to be the best.”
Frei said that beyond the impressive performance from the Heat, many other things went well for the newly created sports program.
Dozens of volunteers, families and fans set up shop at High Noon Park over the weekend, including fans that drove all the way from the Fraser Valley to check out the high-level softball.
“We hoped to set a new standard of what Canadian college softball should look like, and we’re excited about that,” said Frei.
