Softball Prepares to Compete Globally
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DULUTH - Once you get past high school and college, softball is the kind of sport that people see as a way to relax and simply have fun, but for Team Nutrition it's about a lot more.
"It was a matter of finding the girls that have the heart and are passionate about the game and they want to win," said Crystal Schubitzke, a shortstop and one of the team’s founders.
Team Nutrition is a Class D women's softball team made up of players from Duluth and Superior.
“We have some 21 year old girls and 24 and 25, but we do go as old as 48 but I’m not going to tell you which one's 48," joked Mark Connor, manager for Team Nutrition.
Despite the age gap, the players have meshed well thanks to their experience on the diamond, with many current and former collegiate players on the roster.
"You know where everyone's going to go. You know what people are going to do. You just have to know your players and when you're good at what you do it's easy to kind of learn how players play the game," said Ashley Martin, third baseman for Team Nutrition.
The team had been playing in a Duluth league the last couple of years, until it folded.
That meant the team would have to travel to find competition and that travel has paid off, as the team went undefeated, winning the State Tournament.
Then they reeled off six wins in a row to claim the Central Division National Title.
"In a sense I think we've been looked at as the bad news bears just coming out and where's this team coming from and we shock them. We hit and run and that's usually what I tell the girls on the field is hit and run," said Schubitzke.
The National Championship qualified Team Nutrition for the World Championships, an 80-team double elimination tournament.
The team, currently ranked 26th in the nation likes their chances.
"We’re going to have to hit the ball and not be intimidated. I know our defense is awesome and amazing so I’m not really worried about that. I just think that we need to definitely come up to hit," said Martin.
Connor said, "Just staying focused and hitting the ball, defensively we're so good it's like if we score a couple runs every inning we're going to win the game."
Team Nutrition leaves early Wednesday morning for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
The team's first game will be Thursday afternoon against a team from Panama City Beach, Florida.
