After catching sun rays and softballs on red clay fields during its spring break tournament in Arizona, Cornerstone’s softball team has returned to Grand Rapids for its home-opener on Tuesday afternoon.

Head Coach Jim Farrell is expecting a different and more satisfying season than last year.

“Last year did not meet my expectations,” Farrell said. “We finished lower than I expected we would. I was a little disappointed.”

“The team this season has shown a good work ethic and positive attitude,” Farrell said. However, while the outlook is certainly optimistic, there is a lot of young talent joining this year’s effort. All three pitchers are freshmen.

He said they worked extremely hard during the off-season. They were pitching all winter long, and now are anxious to see how they do.

“Anytime you have a young pitching staff, you need good run support,” Farrell said. If they expect to win, he said they will have to hit the ball well and put runs up on the scoreboard.

On the other hand, practice still makes perfect, or at least guides a team in that direction.

“The training for this season has been a lot of work, but has definitely paid off,” said freshman Dinah Gruppen. “I’m more than happy to put in the extra hours for my team knowing that in the long run it could easily guarantee us more success.”

“We are young, low in numbers and slightly inexperienced,” said junior Mandee Michielsen. “There are many teams in the conference that are statistically stacked to compete better than us, but our drive and team unity will bring us a long way.”

She said the team knows the work they do off the field and in the weight room pays off in the end.

“We have worked hard and know that even the smallest, most inexperienced underdogs can rally together and accomplish great things,” Michielsen said.

Last year was a rough and rocky season for the Golden Eagles. The team ended their 2008 season with a record of 18-26.

“That was not how I thought we would finish up,” Farrell said.

The team chemistry for this season appears to be adequate and encouraging, unlike that of last year. Farrell said the biggest issue was that he felt last year’s team was incapable of meshing.

“I think there was an issue of selfishness when it came to playing time,” he said.

He said there were unhappy players, and when players do not buy into what he wants them to do, it becomes difficult to perform well.

“It was frustrating for me because we try to come together as brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s a foundational thing,” Farrell said.

He believes they underachieved because they failed to do that.

On the brighter side, there are still some very skilled players on the team who proved their abilities even in the midst of a not-so-pretty season. Senior Emily Brown and sophomore Melanie Creager both were named first team All-Conference players. Additionally, Mandee Michielsen was named as an Honorable Mention.

Young as a team or not, the Golden Eagles remain confident and upbeat.

“I’m so excited for this year’s season,” sophomore Julie Nietering said. “The team gets along so well, and we always have fun wherever we go. I’m excited to see how our relationships off the field help us come together on the field. Our communication and chemistry will get us far this year.”