Tempe Preparatory Academy’s new softball team is readying for its first competitive season and is hoping to be able to play in every game.

The program started a few years ago, but it was not a success because there were not enough players each season. This time, the roster reads 11 Lady Knights who are ready to compete against other schools.

Head coach Rick Sharp leads a team mixed with experienced and non-experienced players who are training to make their mark on the field this upcoming season.

With nine needed to play the game and only 11 girls on their roster, the team stresses the importance of coming to practice and helping each other learn to play the game.

“I mainly want to complete the season and play every game,” Sharp said. “If we sneak a couple wins in there, that would be absolutely fantastic, but we want to complete the season and we want the kids to leave as ladies and have the other people say, ‘Hey, that team gave it everything they’ve got!’”

Sharp teaches his players the basics of softball and gradually builds off what they just learned so they become more comfortable with their positions on the field. 

“If we weren’t playing games, we would just be working from the bottom up, but right now we have to play games. They might not know how to catch the ball yet, but I need to tell them where first base is or where to throw when the ball is near them,” Sharp said.

Many of the girls on the team were excited that the program is starting to build, even those that are seniors, including Allena De Soto-Facio and Jacqueline Risch.

“I’ve never played softball before and I’ve always wanted to so finally having the opportunity to actually do it, I was really excited,” Risch said.

“This is my first year at Tempe Prep softball — which is kind of sad. It’s been awhile since I’ve played, so I’m ready to get back out there and just go crazy with them,” De Soto-Facio said.

The different levels of experience for the players is not going to stop the team from finishing strong every game. Risch said that “playing as one is everything” as they work off one another to connect on the field and build team chemistry.

“When we walk away from a game, I would love to see everyone feeling one emotion,” De Soto-Facio said. “The team needs to be one mind, and so if we’re walking away from a game, we all need to understand that if it was a bad game, we need to take the loss together and know what we need to improve. If it was a good win, then we will already know what we need to improve to win and come back ready to crush.”

Tempe Prep is ready for what is to come of the competitive season. The girls are set to play, stay healthy, and be eligible to start and finish a game, and show that they are dedicated to making this program thrive.

“I want to see the girls walk off the field feeling like they did everything they could — putting their hearts out on the field,” Risch said.

Initially a baseball coach, the retired Sharp has more than 30 years of experience coaching high school softball teams, including 19 at Desert Mountain. Tempe Prep is the fifth high school for which he’s served as a head coach.

Tempe Prep dropped its first game to Northwest Christian School, 38-4, on Wednesday.