Sept. 22, 2009

Hey my name is Laura Mendes.

I’m really excited for our upcoming fall season. This will be the first time we will play fall ball games. The coaching staff and team are thrilled about the upcoming games. It will be nice to have opponents to play against rather than our own teammates. It’s easier to beat an opponent into the floor because you know you won’t need them during the season.

We started practice yesterday and even though I’m not able to work with the team right now, I noticed a different attitude on the field. This year we are a tighter team, and our new additions to the Gamecock squad are definitely going to help us improve.

There are only five returning players including me and as veterans we are crucial to this team. We are expected to lead on and off the field.

We have two new additions to our coaching staff, Deisha Moss and Rick Pauly.

Deisha Moss is our new strength and conditioning assistant. She has pushed us mentally and physically in the weight room in order to meet new goals that will improve our performance this season. She is easygoing and creative with our workouts. I think Coach Deshia is a tremendous addition and we are stoked to have her aboard.

Coach Pauly comes to us with a great reputation. The pitchers I’ve talked to on the team enjoy working with him and can already notice improvements in their playing. I think Coach Pauly is a great addition to the program. He’s fun loving and from my perspective throws great batting practice. He’s got some mean movement!

Overall, I can’t wait to see how our new set up for fall ball works out. Hopefully I’ll be joining my teammates on the field very soon! Go Cocks!