Snow is falling, but Bernie athletes have spring success on their minds

BERNIE – As the heaviest snowfall of the winter drifted over Crowley’s Ridge in the Bootheel on Tuesday, not very many people had playing softball on their minds. However, at Bernie High School, the Mules have been thinking about getting out on the diamond for nearly two months.

“I definitely think that they are anxious to get going,” veteran Bernie coach Brad Botsch said, “and see what we can do when the season gets here.”

The Bernie softball squad has been working out in the Mules’ elementary school gym for three hours each week after Christmas in preparation for a follow-up to its spectacular 2024 season.

“Our pitchers work,” Botsch explained of the winter training. “Our catchers work, and our infielders will do some work. We also work on our hitting fundamentals.”

Bernie has indoor netting that drops down for hitting sessions inside its gym, as well as hitting tees that the players can perfect their swings on.

Botsch’s team, which graduated just one starter from last year’s group, doesn’t have girl’s basketball to contend with during the winter, so all Mule players have been focused on softball training.

“We’re known as a volleyball school,” Botsch said, “but we are trying to make our name in softball, too.”

The Mules went a long way in doing that a year ago.

Bernie won 22 games and advanced to the MSHSAA Class 1 Final Four (the Mules finished fourth) for the first time in program history.

“These are good kids,” Botsch said. “They are hard-working kids. They want to at least duplicate and hopefully do better than what we did last year.”

Bernie will continue its indoor training for another week-plus before opening its official season with its first practice on March 3.

“We’ve got the bulk of our kids back,” Botsch said. “We anticipate and expect to have a good year.”