Seniors Rachel Pike and Liadan Solomon have participated in Archer athletics since they started Archer. Now, as spring sports commence, the pair begins their final season as Archer athletes — this time on the softball field.

The Oracle sat down with Pike and Solomon to learn more about their goals for the upcoming season and their experiences in Archer softball thus far.

What is your favorite part of softball?

Rachel Pike [RP]: The best part of softball every year is the team. [Solomon and I] both do other sports, and this isn’t our primary sport, but being with this team and the teams every year is probably the most fun part.

Liadan Solomon [LS]: We also really like the eating part of it. The other sports we play — she [Pike] runs cross country, and we both play soccer and I play tennis as well — eating is not as frequent. Archer girls, we like to eat, and you get to eat the whole time, so that’s pretty epic. Also for me, it’s really different than every other sport I play, so to do something a bit different for a season is really nice. We both do club soccer, and it’s club soccer season right now, so we play club soccer at the same time as softball. It’s nice to do something that’s a little more laid back, just for fun, to balance it out.

What has your experience playing Archer softball been like?

RP: We both started playing when we were freshmen, and we’d both never played before, so it has been a learning experience. Going into a sport like [softball], where there are a lot of rules and strategies, we both had to really put our heads into it and learn. Yes, it’s about being athletic, but it’s also about knowing the game and knowing where the play’s going to be; being smart about it. It’s a way to make new friends, and be a part of a different community.

LS: I’ve improved every year. I’ve gotten to play different positions on the team, which is really fun and exciting.

What are your goals for the season?

RP: As a team, one of our goals is to win league — which is a goal every season. Then we also want to make it far in the playoffs and CIFs. As a senior, a goal for me is to really connect with everyone on the team and to leave a good legacy.

LS: I just want to have a great time. I agree with the team goals as well, but as a senior it isn’t really a sport that I see myself really having a future with — in terms of playing it competitively ever again in my life. As seniors, we’re graduating, so we [won’t] be with these people for that long — so just to cherish that while we still have it.

How has the season been so far?

LS: Our first real game was against Brentwood, and we won 8-2. We just had a double-header over the weekend in Catalina, and we won both of those too, so I’d say we’re off to a great start so far. We play Campbell Hall this Thursday, and games are just piled onto our schedule after that. We’re just going, going, going until the end of the season. This year, it’s really exciting because we have a very strong lineup across the board, even people that aren’t starting are really solid — which isn’t something we’ve really had for the last few years. It’s very exciting for the coaches and for us as players too because you get better when your teammates are better.