 Watch this has been the model for the Park Rapids Area softball team all season long and you could have watched them start their season with a 17 to 1 record. As sports director AJ Feldman shows us, this year the team hopes their ending is just as good as their beginning. This should come as no surprise. The Park Rapids Area softball team is good and clicking on all cylinders. We're pretty pleased especially with our defense and how we've held up against other teams. Although I sure can't complain about our hitting our team average is about 400. Their lineup is as strong as it is deep with a pair of players batting over 500 and eight hitting over 300. Even if we're at the bottom of our order we can all still hit and you know that somebody's going to produce at some point so even if you do get out you know that one of your teammates down low is going to back you up and help you out. Bottom of the lineup some teams I feel like they're kind of like oh I don't know if we're going to like get very many runs but like with our batting lineup like we're good with that like if it's eight nine hitter we're good like we'll keep going like no problem. When the Panthers are at bat they put on a show but when they're in the field it's pretty uneventful. We don't get much hit to the field because she's striking out a lot of girls. She is Riley Michelson the sophomore ace who stepped into the role after two pitchers left the team last year. Kind of fell on her shoulders and she accepted the responsibility without any problems. Michelson has a blistering fastball striking out batters at a rate of about one per inning. I like to throw the ball fast just so the other teams can't catch up with the pitch and I like to maybe make them think a little bit. She's definitely like blown my mind with how good she's doing. Behind the plate Kylie Pockel has been the steady hand guiding Michelson this season. My catcher is a huge part to the success that Riley has had. She really helps because she has a good knowledge of the game and she knows what needs to be done. Their regular season success is nothing new but this season will be truly special if they can knock off their rivals Dilworth, Glendon Felton and make it to states. We've lost to them four times those are been like our only losses really and it's kind of like I feel like we all got nerves about it because we want to make it to state and all that. We're always watching to see what they're doing and I would expect they're watching to see what we're doing. We continue to gain on them. I hope this year we can get over that low hump. You're always thinking about it you know the last loss it kind of it stays with you a little bit. It'd be so satisfying to finally beat them at some point. Reporting in Park Rapids AJ Feldman, Lakeland News. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.