CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Illinois State softball team begins its 2016 season Friday morning against No. 2 Michigan, but before the season starts, the Redbirds took time Thursday to visit students at Eisenhower Elementary School in Clearwater, Florida.
It is the sixth-straight year that the Redbird softball team has visited Eisenhower. This year, the team spoke to the fourth and fifth grade students about where the athletes were from and what they study in college along with discussing the importance of teamwork.
"This is a great experience for our players to get out of their comfort zone," said head coach Melinda Fischer. "It's a great bonding experience for our team and we get to share this time with the kids [at Eisenhower] who have such big dreams. It's so exciting to see the kids light up when the softball team works with them."
Allison Sisco, Eisenhower's literary coach, said every time ISU comes to the school it is a special day for the students.
"These students can look at the softball team as role models," said Sisco. "They can see that it's possible to go to college and play a sport while getting a degree. The team building activities are fantastic and this is a great opportunity for the students to have one-on-one time with adults."
ISU did one icebreaker activity with the students before doing a team building activity that required the students to try and build a pyramid of plastic cups using only strings and rubber bands. At the end of the day, each student received an ISU softball shirt, a signed ISU softball poster and a Redbird bookmark.
The Redbirds will begin the 2016 season Friday against Michigan. First pitch is scheduled for 10:45 CT.
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