NORTHBROOK — Expectations were low heading into Wednesday, when the team made the trip down Revere Drive for its first spring training session.
But, with one in the books, early returns are encouraging.
“I feel like we did really good today for the first time out,” first-year skipper Alex Mayster said. “Got a feel for the team, what people’s strengths and weaknesses were.”
Seven of the squad’s players reported to the organized training activity (OTA), with the others missing out due to “work” and other undisclosed reasons.
Nonetheless, the spirited practice, which lasted nearly two hours, offered some positives.
“Fouad [Egbaria’s] play in the infield really stood out, Eric [DeGrechie] had some pop in his bat,” Mayster said. “Joe [Coughlin] didn’t hurt his knee, so that’s a positive.”
Pitcher Matt Bernard took a shot to the leg on a hard-hit ball, but was able to shake it off. Mayster said no one would be listed on the injury report following the practice.
Bernard, one of the non-company members of the team, said he’d have to find his way into what he called a “tight-knit group” — whether he was downplaying his injury status or not, playing through pain will surely endear him to his new teammates quickly.
Coughlin, a softball league veteran, isn’t the only player with experience in the game. Megan Maginity, slotted at first base in the squad’s initial depth chart (a position she’s played before), said the practice went well, despite the inevitable growing pains.
“I feel like this was a great practice for our first run,” she said.
The team rotated positions, fielding grounders and fly balls from every position on the field. Even Maginity, however, said she had to get back into the swing of things.
“I was definitely afraid of those grounders,” she said. “I was afraid of them hitting my face, [but] I’m not afraid anymore.”
Maginity isn’t the only one shaking off some rust. Elder statesman Eric DeGrechie, who last played softball — fast pitch softball, that is — in the same year Windows 95 took the world by storm, worked through the long layoff in this first practice.
“I gotta figure out what’s different [about the game],” he said of the difference between fast and slow pitch softball. “I think the equipment’s changed over the years.”
He added that he is considering purchasing batting gloves, as he felt a “sting” in the bat during this evening’s batting practice session.
Reflecting the easygoing nature of his veteran presence, he joked, asking if it is possible to cork a metal bat.
Barring scientific developments heretofore unseen, that won’t be a possibility this season — but that doesn’t mean good things aren’t on the way.
Despite his time away from the game and the squad’s overall inexperience, DeGrechie felt good about the state of the team coming out of practice No. 1 at the state-of-the-art facility on Northbrook’s Northeast Side.
“I’m very optimistic about this season,” he said. “I think we set the bar really low … I don’t think that’s the right thing.”
DeGrechie sported a freshly purchased $40 glove dubbed “Black Magic” at today’s practice. But that wasn’t the only thing he brought: he also flashed a swagger that could prove infectious for the team.
Pointing to his New York Giants ballcap, the Saratoga Springs, N.Y. native said he hoped to bring the same “championship mentality” that the football team from East Rutherford, N.J., has shown over the years.
Cutting through the cliches, what does that mentality mean, exactly?
“Gun for the championship,” he said. “Not just ribbon participation, which seems to be the tone that some people set.”
DeGrechie’s comments seemed to reference some locker room chatter, including comments from Coughlin, who yesterday told Between the Bylines that expectations for the season are low.
Coughlin, however, took issue with that characterization, making the already icy division between the veteran leader and the press even icier.
“Your reporters and your irresponsible journalism, those quotes were taken out of context,” he said. “I think putting a moratorium on reporters is probably going to hurt the team, so I won’t do that.”
Clearly displeased, Coughlin remained professional, explaining that while he’s unhappy with local coverage to date, he’ll still abide by his media duties, as set forth in the Chicago Softball League (CSL) Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“All I can say is I’m here so I don’t get fined,” Coughlin said.
On the other end of the experience spectrum, newcomer Hope Holmberg, a self-proclaimed “novice,” has not had much of a chance to deal with the often feeding-frenzy-esque, sensationalist Chicago Softball League press corps. She started at first base, before moonlighting in the outfield; with one practice in the books, she already knows what she’ll need to work on going forward.
“I think I have to learn to throw a little harder, but it’ll be okay,” she said.
According to Holmberg, the outlook for the team is more than just okay– she even took DeGrechie’s optimism a step further.
“I think we’ll probably be undefeated,” she said.
Championship mentality, indeed.
The regular season remains more than a month away, but the squad will reconvene for additional practice sessions in the near future, with specific dates to be determined. They will next hit the practice field on the “next warm day,” Mayster said.
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