Andover softball’s Tess Eubank shines in undefeated start

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Andover softball is off to a 6-0 start, and the Trojan’s ace, senior Tess Eubank, has been dominant in the circle to start the season. She’s posted a .840 ERA through 33 innings.

“It feels amazing, I think that every day is a new day, and every game is a new game and I think we always play each game like it’s our last,” Eubank said. “I just want to play every day, that’s my mentality and I think that’s everyone else’s mentality too.”

The Seminole State commit threw 100 strikeouts as a freshman and 125 in a sophomore campaign in which she battled with an arm injury. Through just 33 innings this season, she’s already posted 68 strikeouts.

“Tess is an absolute phenomenal pitcher. She is very hard to prepare for and if you scout us, you can’t really know how she pitches until you are in the box against her to get a feel for what she can do,” Andover softball coach Amisha Daniels said. “She can make in-game adjustments and she will pitch around the bat and that frees us up quite a bit.”

“We have a lot of young players on our team so it takes pressure off them knowing she will be so successful in the circle. On the flip side we have a good defense to back her up this year which we didn’t have two years ago. That’s been a very good combination for us.”

Eubank credits this year’s early success in part to the work she put in during quarantine.

“I think a ton of strength and conditioning and just pitching in my off time especially during quarantine,” she said. “I got a personal trainer and she’s amazing and she helped me get stronger.”

Eubank’s prowess in the circle, combined with a talented defense behind her, will make Andover a tough team to beat this season.

“I am very proud of myself and I could not have done it without my team behind my back,” she said. “We have been really strong in the lineup so far, so I really see a bright future for us this season.”

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