Fairmont Sentinel file photo.

SWEA CITY – Something had to change.

North Union softball’s two-game slate in the Newell-Fonda Softball Tournament on June 6 resulted in the team’s first losing streak of the 2026 season. Both contests against Sioux Central and Newell-Fonda saw the Warriors take leads in the fourth inning or later. And both contests saw a combined 10 errors from head coach Kim Price’s defense.

Seven of the 15 runs North Union gave up were unearned. Kim Price knows that this is no way to win ball games. Especially in a weekend tournament setting.

“I talk to the girls a lot about defense winning games. You have to score runs to win, but you really only have to score one. You have to be able to play defense,” Kim Price said. “We had 10 errors within those two games, and you can’t expect to win games with errors like that. When one person had an error, they either had another one or someone else did. Or both.”

The first thing Kim Price thought of was the mental side of the sport. She knows her players better than anyone. Their tendencies both on and off the field. The performance at Newell-Fonda didn’t match what they’d shown her all season long.

“A big part of that, in my opinion, was mental,” Kim Price said. ” They don’t make those silly errors in practices, or warm-ups, even. To me, a huge part of the game of softball is mental.”

Enter Ethan Miller. The mental performance coach, author, and keynote speaker has built a track record of working with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes across the country, helping individuals grow and reach their full potential.

North Union High School recently hired his services for the past academic school year. Since then, Miller has stopped by campus to work with individuals from all sports, including North Union’s starting shortstop, Olivia Price.

“He does mental training for athletes and teams, having college and high school contracts,” Kim Price said. “My daughter Olivia has had quite a bit of contact with him. He’s been to the school once a month to meet with all the athletes this past school year. So she had actually mentioned, right after that tournament, that we need to bring Ethan in on what’s going on.”

That’s exactly what happened. Kim Price and Miller organized a Zoom call to go over what had happened the past weekend. The goal was to give Miller all the needed details to understand the situation.

Miller has since recorded a handful of videos designated to be shared with the team throughout the season. He also sent Kim Price some bullet points to reiterate to the team when needed. With the information he gained from this season’s North Union team, the message was clear – focus on the present.

“He talked a lot about it’s how we play, not who we play,” Kim Price said. “We need to remember who we are, be confident and strong in our abilities, and constantly focus on the present. Not anything that’s already happened or coming up, the next most important game is your next. We need to focus on every single game and pitch as it’s happening.”

“Miller is also very motivating and intense. That’s been good for the girls in his videos. He’s very positive, and he has a way of getting them motivated and excited to compete. I’ve been trying to reinforce this. That we’re competitors.”

Competitors is correct. North Union’s response has been present to Kim Price in many ways. The Warriors have gone 14-4 since the two-game skid at Newell-Fonda, picking up solid victories over Forest City, Belmond-Klemme, and Spencer – a Class 4A school that just recently dropped out of the weekly Top 15 rankings.

Kim Price even notices a change in her team’s attitude during a defeat. North Union’s first of two games at last weekend’s Newman Catholic Softball Tournament was against Osage, a powerful Class 3A team that’s had success against the Warriors in the past.

While the Green Devils still took home the victory, it wasn’t easy by any means. The back-and-forth affair required extra innings, with Osage scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to ultimately seal its 8-7 victory. However, North Union was still happy with this result.

“They had run-ruled us the past three years at this tournament. So the team was a bit nervous going into it,” Kim Price said. “I think it helped having that support and encouragement from Ethan. …It was really good for the girls. That was a good game and a win in our book.”

Six games remain on the North Union regular season schedule, which wraps up next Thursday with a home contest against St. Edmond. Kim Price plans to continue running the mantra of focusing on the present, taking things one pitch, one play and one at-bat at a time.

“I think showing up every day and remembering that we are here right now. We are going to be where our feet are, in the moment,” Kim Price said. “That’s every pitch and every at-bat. Just focusing on it one at a time”