On March 16, the Galena Pirate Softball Team traveled to Milledgeville to take on the Missiles to begin the kickoff to the new season. This year, the Pirates brought back a lot of returning players like All Conference player Kiera Lyden ‘22, and many other talented players.

This season, the Pirates gained new talent in freshman pitcher Ava Hahn.
“We’re really excited to have a strong pitcher like Ava to strengthen our team this year.” said head coach, Dusty Berning. Hahn pitched a 15 strikeout no-hitter in her first ever varsity game, which led the Pirates to a 13-1 win over Milledgeville and a 1-0 record overall.

Hahn felt very confident going into the game because she knew the game of softball better than most freshmen would.

“I wasn’t under pressure because this is a sport that I’m used to,” she said. “I felt very controlled and relaxed going into the game.”

A pitcher can’t pitch without a catcher. Hahn and sophomore catcher, Taylor Burcham, are a duo that nobody would want to mess with. “I could not have pitched the way I did if it wasn’t for my teammates, but especially Taylor for catching all of my pitches,” said Hahn.

Hahn’s contribution to the team will hopefully help lead the team to successful season. “I feel like the rest of the season is going to be really good because we’re off to such a good start,” she said.

“I was very happy about the outcome of the game and I feel like Ava has the ability to do that for every game if she is focused,” said Berning. “I feel very encouraged about the rest of our upcoming season. We have a lot of talent on this team and if we put it all together, I think we could have a really good season.”