GOOD HOPE, Ala. — The Good Hope Lady Raiders are coming off a solid 2023 softball season and freshman Campbell Koch talked about what it was like playing alongside some great teammates throughout the year. A lot of younger girls will be on varsity next season and Campbell thinks that will help them be even better.
“Last season, we didn’t reach some of the goals we set for ourselves and came up a little short, but it taught me a great deal about leadership and how to push and work hard through some difficult times,” Koch said. “It was great. I love each and every one of my teammates and we all made some great bonds with each other. I am so excited, because we have a lot of girls that are returning, but we also have a lot of new talent coming up that will help bring great things to Good Hope softball. We have several seventh graders coming up, as well as some JV girls from last year, and that will help make us even better for this year.”
Campbell is blessed to be playing under some great coaches and has learned so much from them. She soaked up as much as she could from senior Bailey Keef and from her teammates.
“Our coaches are awesome. They put a lot of time into our program and into us. They are always making us better players, but also better people. They teach us how to play softball, but also teach us many life skills, such as leadership and teamwork, and that we should always put Christ first in our life,” Koch said. “She was fantastic. I love her and she was always a great role model for all of us. She was vocal on the field and always picked us up when we were down. She put the team first and was always a great leader. She taught us what true leadership really was. I can’t wait to watch her at Mississippi College and I know she’ll do great. What I learned from her and my teammates is how to be a better leader and how to work with my teammates better.”
Campbell has seen her game grow so much during her time on varsity so far and will continue to put in the work in the offseason as she prepares for the 2024 season.
“I saw my game improve a lot this season, especially in my hitting. Our building contributed a lot. Me and my dad were up there almost every weekend working and it definitely paid off. My dad always tells me, ‘In order to perform well in front of thousands, you have to out-work thousands in front of nobody’,” she said. “My dad and I try to be in the building at least twice a week, working on hitting, in order to stay ready for next season.”
She talked about the goals for this upcoming season and she thinks this team will do big things in 2024.
“For team goals, we hope to play competitively with everyone we play, win county and area, and make it further in Regionals than we have in the past. For personal goals, I hope to finish the season with a higher batting average than last year, and I hope to help my team be the best we possibly can and have a great sophomore season,” she said. “I think that this team will be special to watch, because we have great team chemistry. We work well with each other, because we have played with each other for three years now and we all have been taught to play like it’s our last ballgame every time we step on the field.”
Campbell talked about a role model that she looks up to and the best advice that someone ever gave her.
“My role model growing up has always been Amanda Lorenz. She played at Florida and now plays for Team USA. I’ve always admired how she stayed calm and collected in tough situations. She is always able to remove her team from those situations with good timely base hits,” she said. “The best advice anyone has ever given me is to play for something bigger than yourself. We should always play for the Lord and let all of the glory go to Him, because no one would be here without Him.”
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