After seeing a promising 2020 season ended abruptly in March due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, Austin Peay State University's softball team heads into the 2021 season with high expectations and a work ethic to match. This is 'Dugout Dish' a blog where each student-athlete on the team will take an opportunity to write a post highlighting the goings on of the squad, beginning with fall training and continuing all the way through the 2021 season.

Hi, my name is Mea Clark and I am a freshman catcher from Brown Summit, North Carolina.  

I chose to come to Austin Peay because of the amazing coaching staff. I also liked how much Clarksville felt like home. 

Although our freshman year may look a little different with COVID, our coaching staff and my teammates have made it the best they possibly can.  

Every morning we get up at 5 a.m. and workout at 6 a.m., we then have a hitting group, followed by practice later in the day.  

We recently just finished up our Red versus Black World Series. It was very competitive, and it was nice to scrimmage each other since we can't have actual games.  

One thing we got to experience was our first media day. We got to take headshots and take cool pictures for our social media accounts. We got to take GIFs for our twitter page and more. This was a fun experience with the freshman class. 

Another fun activity we did was the Halloween Bash. Everyone dressed up and we got to paint pumpkins, watch a movie, and have a scavenger hunt, all while remaining six feet apart of course.  

I am so excited that I chose to come to Austin Peay. I have already learned so much more about the game of softball, made new friends and created many memories. I can't wait to see what the next four years have in store.