New season, new challenges for Prior Lake softball

Trena Larson -- a softball player seemingly incapable of masking her excitement for the game -- said last season she felt that opposing teams wrote off Prior Lake to some degree as it headed into the playoffs. So it doesn't surprise her that now there might be some rumblings around the conference that the Lakers could be a weak spot on South Suburban schedules.

After all, the team went through such a metamorphosis this winter. It's hard even to recognize the squad as the same one that wound up winning 21 games and earning a state tournament berth last season -- sometimes even for those teammates themselves.

In less than a year, the Lakers have joined a new and more competitive conference, hired a new coach and lost a significant chunk of players -- including their solid pitcher, Brittany Lauterbach -- from last year's senior-driven roster. Still, voices on the team echo nothing but sheer spunk and grit.

"I definitely feel like we have a completely new team," Larson, a senior center fielder and captain, said. "And I think others will be underestimating us.

"But when they play us, they're going to be like, 'Oh. Whoa. Watch out.'"

That's not to say that Larson or anyone on the team believes it will be easy. Prior Lake's new pitcher, Tori Workman, is a relatively inexperienced junior who split time between JV and varsity last season, often playing in the outfield. Its new coach, Meghan Potter, has just one year of tenure racked up at the JV level, and never has coached varsity ball.

And after relocating from the Missota conference to one that boasts the likes of Eagan, Eastview and Class 3A defending champ Burnsville, the Lakers likely will have no shortage of tests for their high spirits.

"Our new motto is 'New conference, new coach, new crew,'" Potter said with a laugh. "But it's exciting to be a part of this conference; it has some of the best teams in the state. And in order to be the best, we have to play the best.

"It's going to be a dog fight. Everyone we're going to face -- it's going to be a battle."

Because they know that, players say the challenge will make them better.

"When you play games against teams you beat 10-0 every game, there's no competition," Larson said. "Now ... we know we have to be on our toes all the time: every game, every pitch. These teams are good. They're going to find your weaknesses and work them."

Among the things that will give the Lakers a fighting chance are the potential pop in their offense --Larson said the team hit a few home runs in its dome league this winter -- and the versatility of players, who may play multiple positions this season.

"She does have big shoes to fill," said Potter, who suggested her college playing experience with North Dakota State helps with the coaching transition. "But she's got the attitude that she can get it done. When she's [pitching], she's in charge, and she will bring it."

Larson said she's happy that the changes, which seemingly uprooted the team, happened all at once, so that the team can respond and grow.

"At the same time, though ... it's like taking a fish out of water," she said.

To combat that, the Lakers are flushing their school with as much water as they can find: the team has had sleepovers, eaten pasta dinners, gone shopping, decorated dugout buckets and gone to the movies together -- anything, Larson said, to weave a feeling of solidarity among the frayed ends.

So far, the team-building has gone swimmingly. There's just one final place to test the bond: on the field.