Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, spent Thursday morning working out with the Ohio State University’s softball team, CQ Roll Call has confirmed.

Beatty is only 27 days away from her debut in the Women’s Congressional Softball Game, an annual softball match that pits female members of Congress against women in the Washington press corps.

The Columbus Dispatch reported the Beatty news earlier Thursday.

According to Beatty’s spokesman, Greg Beswick, Buckeye Softball coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly invited Beatty to work out with the team after learning from the lawmaker about the annual grudge-match.

During her hour-long practice, Beatty took pop flies, grounders and even switch hit during batting practice.

The Ohio freshman fell off the softball radar because she was not on the initial team roster. Other adds include: Reps. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y.

The Beatty-Buckeye workout does raise eyebrows because certain people on Team Congress have been critical of the press team for practicing on weekends and other recess periods when the Member Team is unable to congregate.

But the Bad News Babes will not be kept down — or outworked. Even though team leadership gave the Bad News Babes Memorial Day weekend off in preparation for the final push before the June 26 game, several players ignored the pleas and practiced on their own anyway.

The Congressional Women’s Softball Game raises money for the Young Survival Coalition, a group that supports women fighting breast cancer. Game day is June 26. You can buy tickets here.

(h/t Rothenberg Report’s Nathan Gonzales for flagging this for HOH.)

Disclosure: The author of this post is a co-captain of the Bad News Babes, the press team.