PROGRESS OVER RESULTS
That was the motto of the Senators Ladies last season and if the words of head coach Frank Mohr are to be believed, this will not lose its validity for the coming season either.
“For us it’s not about places in the standings,” he explains. “It’s more about gradually improving our game. That’s why we don’t look up or down and just concentrate on ourselves. That’s what I think works best for us.”
At the beginning of the season the ladies were on a roundtrip through North Rhine-Westphalia . Verl/Gütersloh, Aachen, Neunkirchen and Wuppertal were the first four stops for the softball team.
“Being brief has never been my strength,” said the coach when asked whether he could summarize the almost 700 km on German motorways in just 70 words. “But I will try it.”
“Our results were as mixed as the locations. Losing to the Yaks by just one run didn’t hurt as much as the defeat in Aachen, where we certainly left our worst game of the season behind us, luckily on the second matchday. The knot finally broke in Neunkirchen and in Wuppertal passion clearly won. Going into the home opener with two wins under your belt? I think it could be worse.”
The long-awaited home opener for the ladies against the Neunkirchen Nightmares became a feast for the entire softball family and the palate. With Beer Kong, the new supporters of the Düsseldorf Senators softball team were presented for the first time.
“A partnership that we are very proud of, because we have many things in common with Caro and Janine, aka Beer Kong. We want to set an example in sport and society.”
This was impressively demonstrated with the “A good beer for the benefit of everyone” campaign, as all proceeds from the beer sold are donated to a charitable cause at the end of the year. A powerful action.
The ladies won the home opener against a strong team from Neunkirchen and said goodbye to the summer break with a positive result.
“We would have liked to continue playing because we were just finding ourselves as a team. The games against Jülich/Krefeld and Ver/Gütersloh were all the more remarkable. Those games were some of the best all season long.”
Even though there were two defeats against Jülich/Krefeld on paper in the end, they couldn’t consider themselves defeated.
“What our pitchers in particular did showed their unconditional dedication to the team. Anyone who has seen the games knows what I’m talking about. I still get goosebumps now.”
Then he adds an explanation.
“When we started in 2019, we had exactly one female pitcher. This year there were already three and next season we will be able to double the number,” says Frank Mohr, visibly proud, but he immediately puts his role in the whole thing into perspective. “We owe this primarily to our pitcher coach Courtney Oliva, who works meticulously to fill this extremely important position. Without you, this wouldn’t be possible.”
They were able to take revenge for the narrow defeat at the Yaks with an equally narrow victory and won a real nail-biter with 10:9.
The last two games against Ratingen and again Wuppertal were evenly played. One loss and one win was the result of these two games.
Even if the coach may not do it, we would like to take a look at the standings of the softball Landes League and congratulate the team around head coach Frank Mohr on a very good fourth place in the final standings.
The coaches are sure that things will continue to improve in the next few years.
“We have been able to integrate six new players into this fantastic team and the trend continues to rise. Those who work hard will achieve success in the long term. And we work damn hard.”
When asked what he personally remembers about the season, Frank Mohr quickly finds an answer.
“It’s not just this season. A lot has changed in my life in the last four years. The love for softball and my team is just one of many positive things that have happened to me. But they are definitely the most beautiful. Being part of this team fills me with great gratitude.”
We would like to pass on this thanks to the entire Senators crew, because…
We don’t want to forget all of our supporters, without whom softball in Düsseldorf would not exist. The whole crowd, whether scorers, umpires, catering, grounds keepers, organization team and department management, all feel warm to you.
We would like to thank our partners Beer Kong, NDOZ, Pure Note, Fielders Choice, PhysicDopeDesign, PlusUltraPicthing for your help in giving soft and baseball a face in Düsseldorf. Thumbs up for this important contribution.
Surely we have forgotten some, if not many. Our special thanks go to those who are not listed here.
We love all of you!
Stay healthy and see you next year when it’s PLAY BALL again with the Senators Softball Ladies.
