STORY BY EMILY LAMBIE

Over this past weekend, the Drake Softball team welcomed some old faces for an easy-going scrimmage – Drake Softball alums, returning to their home turf.

As a former softball player myself, it was a pleasant change to watch these women come back and play. A majority of them still played like they did in their college days, while some were just there to reconnect with past teammates and to take part in a softball game.

Seeing games like this really make me smile, not only because it is a great opportunity for the current players to get a break from the competitiveness that the season brings and because it also gives the alumni a chance to play again.

A majority of the women have families now, so to get a break from that, and get the chance to play again is a really amazing opportunity.

The children of the alums were the entertainment for the game. They were not only the umpires but also the commentators, and they were hilarious. One of my favorites was a little girl giving shout-outs to her mom when she came up to bat. She would introduce who her mom was, and then would tell the crowd that it was her mom. It was one of the sweetest things.

After the game was over, everyone lined up and started taking pictures together, and then, one-by-one, the alums’ children joined in to take pictures.

Overall, I think that bringing alums back to do things like this is purely positive. It not only gives the players a chance to get a breather from everyday life, but it gives them a chance to interact with their fellow alums. More sports teams should have games like this that are focused on being light-hearted and fun.

As the season gets underway make sure to head out to the next softball home game, which will take place in the spring. In the meantime, get ready for basketball to start, and be sure to head to their alumni game this winter.