It’s the middle of winter, but my thoughts turned to softball. Loyola University opened the 2020 season by hosting the Rambler Rumble, a weekend tournament of eight collegiate women’s softball teams held in the Dome in Rosemont.

Omaha Softball coach Amanda Rivera Eberhart

Nebraska at Omaha coach Tatum Edwards

Although I arrived early Friday morning to watch Nebraska at Omaha face IUPUI, a huge crowd was already there, but I found a spot down the right field line. After the Nebraska win, I caught up with assistant coach Tatum Edwards.

A former player for the National Pro Fastpitch Chicago Bandits, Edwards is climbing the coaching ranks. Her twin, Taylor, is a reserve on the Team USA 2020 Olympic squad. It will be a trip to Tokyo for the Edwards family, including younger sister, Tristen, a junior player at the University of Nebraska. Tatum is looking forward to sightseeing and enjoying Japanese cuisine along with the spectacle of the Olympics.

Loyola coach Alicia Abbott

Loyola went 3-2 in over the weekend, with impressive wins and close losses. It looks to be an exciting year for the Ramblers. New coach Alicia Abbott brings an impressive coaching resume with her. The area native was a star player in college and is a nine-year veteran of the coaching ranks.

Western Illinois University coach Holly van Vlymen

Evansville coach Mat Mundell

All of the coaches had mixed emotions about the upcoming Olympics. While it is great that softball is back, it is disappointing it will not be part of the next Olympics. Still, having softball on the international stage will build the fan base and help grow the sport.

Butler coach Scott Hall

It was a weekend of reconnecting with many softball friends on and off the field as well as making new friends. With the temperature hovering around the freezing point, three days of softball action was the perfect way for me to keep warm and dream about the upcoming summer.

— John Wroblewski, online writer