The Heartland Community College Softball program is set and ready to take on the 2026 spring season. Facing a tough fall schedule playing different divisional schools, the Hawks are walking away prepared for their upcoming campaign. Head Coach Krystal Goodman is in her second year of competition with the college and is ready to make her mark on the program. Coach Goodman comments on the team as a whole and what they developed over the 2025 fall season, saying,
"We have a lot of new faces, so the biggest part of the fall was learning to work together as a unit. It's not easy to mesh a group of young ladies who don't know each other together, but they've done a really good job at getting to learn each other. Our tough fall schedule prepared them by seeing the best so that they are ready for whoever is on the other side of the field."

    With the preparation in the fall, the Hawks are set for the start of the spring season. As the team has been working together throughout the school year, they have also been developing the team when they come together. Coach Goodman comments more on the type of players that the program holds, saying, "This team's identity this year is gritty. We have players who are willing to do anything you ask them and aren't afraid of hard work. They're the type who are going to play hungry and get after it every outing." With the formation of this team, they are looking to improve their record while also developing strong team chemistry for the season.

    Moving forward in the season with any team isn't always the easiest task, but the coaches and players are prepared to take on the competition head-on. Softball is a sport that is a mental game, just as much as it is physical. That being said, Coach Goodman knows the adjustments that are needed to create a successful season. "The biggest mental adjustment for them is going to be treating the season like a marathon, not a sprint. We want to peak at the right time". Being an Alabama softball alumna, Coach Goodman knows the pressures as well as how to counter those emotions throughout the long and difficult season. The team is well-equipped to make its mark in the 2026 campaign and is anxious to take the field at the start of the weekend.

    The first games of the season are taking place in Park Hills, Missouri, for the Midwest Clash, where the Hawks will face two opponents on February 20th.  The Hawks will take a week off before heading back down south to Missouri once again to compete in the Branson Showtime Classic (February 27th-28th).