PHOTO BY BRIAN HOFFMAN
Salem High School will be host-ing the annual “Salem Softball Invitational” this Saturday and this year its back at the renovated James I. Moyer Complex.
“”We’re happy to be playing our home games back at Moyer,” said Salem coach Jeremy Wells. “Very for-tunate to have that facility for our pro-gram. Our players are really excited to be there. It’s a beautiful facility.”
The invitational features nine varsity games and seven jayvee games. Varsity teams include host Salem, Lebanon, Alleghany, Auburn, Jefferson Forest, Radford, Halifax County, Pulaski County and Amherst. Salem will play Alleghany at noon and Radford at 4 pm, both on Field 3, the Spartans’ home field. Salem’s jayvee team will play East Mont at 10 am and Auburn at noon on Field 2.
Games are on fields 1, 2 and 3 and Roanoke College will play a double-header against Shenandoah on Field 4 at 1 pm and 3:30 pm, making for a big day of softball.
The Spartans opened their 2025 sea-son on Monday and it wasn’t a great opening day for the Salemites, as they were shut out by a strong Franklin County team on a windy day at the Moyer Complex, 15-0. The Spartans are figuring on better results at the invitational Saturday with opening day jitters out of the way.
“We’ll rely on the experience of our core group of seniors this season, start-ing with pitchers Cora Robinson and Cora Grace Sparger and catcher Caitlin Wells,” said coach Wells. “ We have a strong group of younger players com-ing up who we feel like can contribute right away this season.”
“We have a chance to be a good team, but we have to keep working hard. We play a tough schedule and everyone in our district is strong. It’s not going to be easy, we’ll have to earn everything we get.”
