Castlewood softball is truly a family affair

While it’s not rare to see siblings playing high school sports together in South Dakota, Castlewood brings it to a new level. The Warriors have an impressive six sets of sisters on this year’s squad.

The Akin’s, Goens’, Jacobsen’s, Kudrna’s, Wilson’s, and Horn’s certainly have one thing in common, but they also share a strong love for softball. This passion for the sport was on full display a year ago when Castlewood took home the ‘B’ title in the inaugural year of softball being a sanctioned sport in South Dakota.

And while at the end of the day the girls are all teammates, there’s a little more flavor to it when one of those teammates is a sister. The Kudrna sisters echo this sediment.

“It’s not just my sister on the team, it’s my family. Both my mom and dad [assistant] coach (Jay and Jessica),” said 8^th grader Sophia Kudrna.

“It’s really nice, because each of us know each set of sisters personally. And knowing each other personally we can use that to our advantage,” stated freshman Cydni Kudrna.

The Jacobsen sisters also echoed this sentiment, along with appreciating the opportunity of being together.

“I can just look up to her every day, because she does so good,” said seventh grader Lucy Jacobsen. “We’re more behaved than some of them, but we get into competitive moments in games and practices.”

“I think it’s pretty fun. I get to watch her grow as a teammate. She still is my sister, so we get into arguments, but I’ve been told we fight cute. I don’t know what that means, but we do it evidently,” exclaimed Freshman Lilly Jacobsen with a chuckle. “Other than that, I’m excited to watch her grow. By the time I’m a senior, she’ll be a sophomore. We are sisters, so we get into arguments, but I think it’s fun.”

Yes, sisters can be competitive, but what siblings aren’t. Parents can tell their kids not to fight until they’re blue in the face. And even though they won’t admit it, they too argued with their siblings when they were young. But with every fight or disagreement, there’s love, support, and a bond.

“We’re really competitive, our whole family is. I guess it can be really hard to play with her, because most of the time she plays more than I do, and then she’s younger too, so it makes it harder,” Senior Kelly Goens said with a smile. “I’m always happy for her, and I’m always excited to see how well she does.”

“It’s really fun watching her run, because she got the school record in hurdles this year,” said Sophomore Kayla Goens. “Seeing her be able to use her speed [in softball] is really cool.”

The Akin sisters are cherishing one last ride together with each other.

“I love playing with my sister. It’s one of the best opportunities that I’ve got to do,” said Sophomore Natalie Akin. “I’m just lucky enough to share it with her in her last year, so it’s one of the best experiences.”

“I think it’s great playing with a sister because you just have that person to rely on. You know they’re always going to be there for you, and sometimes you have to have your sister beat you up, but that’s beside the point,” chuckled Senior Karli Akin.

As for the Wilson sisters, their situation is slightly different with Morgan as a player and Avery as a student manager.

“It’s fun for the most part. We argue sometimes. She’s a student manager, but I can’t wait to play with her next year,” said eighth grader Morgan Wilson. “It’ll be fun, interesting, we’ll see what she can do and help the team out. She brings lots of laughs to the team.”

“I actually just wanted to ride the bus and load balls for the tee,” said sixth grader Avery Wilson with a laugh. “I’m very excited to play for them.”

The Horn sisters also have an unsimilar position, because their dad Craig is the head coach for the team. Both Horn girls also enjoy each other’s presence on the team, even though they too sometimes have their sisterly moments.

“If I get frustrated, sometimes I can take it out on her, because we’re siblings,” joked eighth grader Claire Horn. “It’s nice to have someone on your team that’s your sibling. If you don’t know what time practice is, you can always ask them.”

“She’s good to have around, I guess, because she’s our pitcher and we’d kind of suck without her. I feel like [softball] is where we get along the most,” exclaimed Junior Bridgette Horn.

For Coach Craig Horn, who has to wrangle in these six sets of sisters on a regular basis, he loves it.

“The real good thing about it, there’s a lot of ability. They’re all good. They’re softball family’s, I guess, maybe they play a lot of softball. I know we do. It brings a lot of talent,” said Coach Horn. “I know with my daughters, there’s a little bit of drama there, but it’s not bad. You just deal with it.”

And as a father, the extra time he gets to spend with his daughters is a bonus.

“A lot of pride, that’s why I do it. I love it. I just hope I can teach them enough to help them be successful. I love the time I get to spend with them,” the Warriors skipper said. “That’s probably the best piece of it, right? I’m harder on them than any of them. Last year I had three [daughters] on the team. It’s fun to spend the time with them. I’m very fortunate.”

Along with winning the ‘B’ state title a year ago, Castlewood is once again playing in the state championship game. The Warriors, along with the Akin’s, Goens’, Jacobsen’s, Kudrna’s, Wilson’s, and Horn’s, will play Alcester-Hudson or Chester on Saturday for the ‘B’ crown.