American River College’s softball team will make its return to campus on ground this semester after a year of social distance online learning. ARC softball coach Lisa Delgado says it has been great being back on campus and the softball team is fortunate to be back in the dirt.

Delgado adds that her return to coaching duties has been busy.

“[A normal day includes] organizing, running practice and making sure the student-athletes are performing well in the classroom,” Delgado said in an email to the Current. “I am happy to say we will be fully vaccinated by the end of September

Delgado says that there are many hoops to jump through with COVID-19 protocols. 

“In fall 2020, softball was fully online and we did workouts and had Zoom meetings once a week,” Delgado said. “It was really challenging to stay motivated, we were super fit but there is nothing like throwing a hitting during practice to work those muscles”

Delgado added that she thinks softball is an amazing sport and recruiting happens year-round. 

“It takes years of experience to play at a high level,” Delgado said. “Softball is a sport that requires you to be mentally tough, strong, fast and have great hand-eye coordination.”

Delgado says that she is looking forward to spring 2022’s semester as it will be a rebuilding year for softball.

“We lost 11 of 14 returners,” Delgado said. “But we have some really strong freshmen who will come in and make an immediate impact.”