It has been forever since I've written anything on this blog and even longer since I've actually written something about softball on here. There are many reasons why but the main thing is I use a tablet for all my internet stuff and this blog site is hard to write on, on a tablet. So my only other options were to use my mom's computer to do the whole thing or write it on my tablet and edit it and add pictures(if I'm using them) on the computer. It's just a lot of work and stress(especially considering I don't really get that many views lol). But back in January I retired my old outdated Kindle and bought my self something newer. It has a writer program that is easy to use, so I'm writing this on here and then I'll transfer it to the blog(if you are reading this I must have been successful, yay lol). If this works the way I hope maybe I'll start writing more lol.
So you might be thinking "Well if you've had this new tablet and plan all season why have you waited until April". Well this is hard for me to admit but at the beginning of this season for the first time probably ever, I just wasn't feeling softball. I'm not sure why but I just wasnt. But I kept following and watching and in the last couple of weeks my fire has come back to me :). I decided in this blog that I'll talk a little about the Huskies and then list my 5 favorite coaches and talk about them, so here we go.
I had no expectations for the Huskies coming into this season. This is probably the youngest team they've had in my time following them and I came into this season just not knowing a lot about these players. It's been a pretty good season in my opinion. They started off Pac-12 play by getting swept by Oregon which surprised me but they've won their last two series against UCLA and Arizona. The offense is definitely the strong point for this team. Ali Aguilar has been the leader but lots of girls(in fact most of the regular starters) are also hitting extremely well. I think this team has a good combination of speed and power. I've gotten to watch them twice and that offense is a lot of fun to watch. The pitching and defense have for the most part been good. But this a young pitching staff that is still a little rough around the edges. I've seen some people saying Taran Alvelo has been a disappointment but I don't agree. Maybe it's because I came into this season with no expectations but she's been exactly what I expect out of a freshman pitcher. She's a talented pitcher. But she's young and rough around the edges. There is going to be good and bad but I feel like for the most part she's been a good addition for the Huskies and I've seen steady improvement as the season has gone on. I'm excited to watch her grow and develop over the next 4 years. One thing that has jumped out at me is the leadership on this team. I don't know if there is a better coach at fostering leadership qualities in young girls than Coach Tarr and it shows season after season. I watched the Huskies game against Arizona Sunday night and was just struck by how different Kimberlee Souza is now as a senior than she was as a freshman. I remember watching her as a freshman and thinking man she's small(she's 5'3 which happens to be the same size as me lol) and the other night I found myself thinking "I know she hasn't but she looks like she's grown 6 inches!". She is confident and proud and the other girls clearly respect her. I also was struck by Casey Stangel! This series she took the team and put them on her shoulders and carried them to two very important wins! I feel this is the beginning of something great for her and the Huskies! Overall I'm very proud of these girls and excited to see what the rest of the season will be like!
So I've been thinking a lot about coaches lately. There are some amazing college softball coaches and there are some not so amazing. College coaches are in a position to have a huge impact on the girls on their team, not just athletically but on the women they are becoming. Coaches give up a lot. They often get blamed when they shouldn't and don't get the credit when they should. But overall they have a pretty awesome job! So I decided pick my top 5 favorite and tell you why I like them.
5. Patrick Murphy- Alabama
Coach Murphy makes my list for many reasons. The biggest being he isn't afraid to take risks! I've seen him pull hitters who noone else would pull at times no one else would do it and put in a hitter no one else would. I've seen him send runners when no one else. More often than not, his risks pay off!
4. Beth Torina-LSU
I think most people were a little unsure about Coach Torina when she took over the LSU program. She wasn't a big name coach. She was relatively inexperienced coach. But she stepped in and has done fabulous! She always seems cool as a cucumber but I'm sure she isn't :).
3. Vann Stuedeman- Mississippi State
I've watched her coach since she was at Alabama and I just love the joy and passion she coaches with! It makes me smile every time. She clearly loves softball and coaching and the girls on her team.
4. Patty Gasso- Oklahoma
I always liked Coach Gasso but she made it on my favorite list after Oklahoma lost to Alabama in the Championship Series in 2012. Her press conference after the last game made me cry! I can't think of a time that I've seen a coach more emotional than she was and she was emotional for her girls. It just touched me. It made me realize that for her coaching is so much more than a job!
1. Heather Tarr- Washington
I know what a huge surprise :). I've always said that Danielle Lawrie made me love not just softball but Husky softball. But Coach Tarr has kept me a Husky fan. Everything from the way she got the job to how she coaches to the incredible people she shapes these young women into makes her a great coach and my favorite coach! She has been with this program from the start and she works hard to teach the history of the program(and this program has an incredible history!) to her athletes, I love that! She is so creative! She is always smiling. Her players both current and former have nothing but the best things to say about her. In December, she was in Hawaii with her staff doing a clinic (I believe they do it every year) and tore her ACL playing in the ocean! She had surgery in January and has spent the season coaching in the dugout. Most people would've been annoyed by this but not her(I'm sure she's had her times lol). She says it's making her more well rounded coach! I love that! She has this ability to bring little known players and make them stars! Bryana Walker, Kimberlee Souza, Courtney Thank, Kelli Suguro...just to name a few. I was watching their game on the Pac-12 network the other night and I notice she was sitting right behind batters box and she was talking thg whole time. She was talking to the batter, she was talking and pointing out things to the girls sitting by her, and all I could think was if that's not the mark of a good coach I don't what is. Always always always teaching the game in whatever way she can! When she speaks you can just see in her eyes how much she loves softball but even more how much she loves Husky softball! I see year after year people doubt her and she always proves them wrong.
Well that's all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner!
ETA: so I got to thinking about something I said about Coach Gasso. I mentioned a press conference were she got emotional and said I'd never seen a coach that emotional for their team. I started watching press conferences and stumbled across Washington's press conference in 2011 after they were knocked out of the post season by Missouri. I'd watched it before but I'd forgotten how emotional Coach Tarr and Jenn Salling were. Also ironically Jenn talks about Coach Tarr being her role model and say she hopes to coach with her one day....this season she is as the graduate assistant :).
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Monday, October 12, 2015
A rant...sort of lol
It has been forever since I've put anything on this blog. But today I have something on my mind. I don't normally use this blog to rant but today I am!
First off, on Tuesday Jessica Mendoza became the first woman to a MLB post season game! Big, big congrats to her! I couldn't be more happy for her! She has worked incredibly hard and she totally deserved this opportunity. I watched the game and thought she did a great job. I look forward to listening to her call many more games and listening to all the other women in the future that she paved the way for!
Now to my rant lol. The next day I read an article about a man named Mike Bell(no relation to me thank God!). He is a radio broadcaster in Atlanta and he was suspended from his job because of some disgusting tweets he posted about Jessica Mendoza. I'll include a link to his comments if you haven't read them and wish to. But basically he said being a softball player didn't qualify her to call a professional baseball game and called her "Tits McGee". He has since (of course) issued an apology but I couldn't help but feel it was more of sorry this bit me the butt apology but that's just my opinion. My first thought upon reading his original remarks was "I hope he doesn't have any daughters". I can't imagine what it would feel like to see or hear your father bad mouth a another woman just for being a woman. But even if he doesn't, he does say something in his tweets about his wife. He had to have a mother and other women in his life. I think he owes them all an apology.
As days have gone by and this has continued to bother me, I started to wonder why. The first obvious reason is I'm a woman! I've been surrounded my entire life by women. I love lots of really strong women and I resent the notion that women can't call baseball games or foot ball games or any sport simply because they are women. I'm also a softball fan and I have great respect for the women who play and who have played the game. I am also a Jessica Mendoza fan. I've followed her career almost as long as I've followed softball. She was an incredible outfielder and one of the most gifted hitters to play the game. But I think the most upsetting thing for me is that this guy was blessed with a platform that he could've used for something positive like lifting up and supporting women but Tuesday night he made a choice to instead use his platform for something negative and tore not just Jessica Mendoza down but women and softball. Not everyone has that opportunity and I can't fathom using that opportunity in such a negative and disgusting way!
He said Jessica is not qualified to call that game but I wonder if he spent any time at all looking at her background. She is the daughter of a baseball coach. She grew up watching and playing baseball like many softball players. She looked up to baseball players. But she eventually ,for one reason or another, made the move from baseball to softball. She played at Stanford, for the national team, and in the NPF for USSSA Florida Pride. She's an All-American and an Olympic Gold and Silver medalist. I know people like Mr.Bell like to pretend baseball is much different more complicated sport than softball and a woman couldn't possibly understand it the way a man can but they are wrong. There are differences but the basics are the same. You don't have to listen to her long before you realize she knows baseball and for Mr. Bell to assume she doesn't because she has breasts and played softball is ridiculous. But more than knowing baseball, she knows what it's like to play a sport at the highest level because she's done it! She's worked hard, she's sacrificed so much, and their is no good reason for to not get to call that game.
The only thing Mr. Bell showed on Twitter that night was he knew nothing about Jessica Mendoza, or softball, or female athletes. It was a big reminder to me that while softball and women have made huge strides there is still a long long way to go. I think as much anger as I felt about Mr.Bell's comments I felt so much more sadness because he is just the one whose comments were seen because of his job and there is still so much ignorance and sexism out there. I hope to one day have a daughter and I can only hope and pray if I do I bring her into a world that has much less sexism than our world today.
If I could ask one thing of Mr.Bell it would be to put away his sexist ego, shut his mouth, and go take in an NPF game and spend sometime with those ladies. I think it would do him a world of good and make him feel like a real moron...at least I hope it would.
This is an article with all of Mike Bell's tweets:
http://thebiglead.com/2015/10/07/mike-bell-jessica-mendoza-twitter-suspended/
This is an article with Jessica Mendoza's classy response:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/interviews/a47579/jessica-mendoza-female-analyst-mlb/
First off, on Tuesday Jessica Mendoza became the first woman to a MLB post season game! Big, big congrats to her! I couldn't be more happy for her! She has worked incredibly hard and she totally deserved this opportunity. I watched the game and thought she did a great job. I look forward to listening to her call many more games and listening to all the other women in the future that she paved the way for!
Now to my rant lol. The next day I read an article about a man named Mike Bell(no relation to me thank God!). He is a radio broadcaster in Atlanta and he was suspended from his job because of some disgusting tweets he posted about Jessica Mendoza. I'll include a link to his comments if you haven't read them and wish to. But basically he said being a softball player didn't qualify her to call a professional baseball game and called her "Tits McGee". He has since (of course) issued an apology but I couldn't help but feel it was more of sorry this bit me the butt apology but that's just my opinion. My first thought upon reading his original remarks was "I hope he doesn't have any daughters". I can't imagine what it would feel like to see or hear your father bad mouth a another woman just for being a woman. But even if he doesn't, he does say something in his tweets about his wife. He had to have a mother and other women in his life. I think he owes them all an apology.
As days have gone by and this has continued to bother me, I started to wonder why. The first obvious reason is I'm a woman! I've been surrounded my entire life by women. I love lots of really strong women and I resent the notion that women can't call baseball games or foot ball games or any sport simply because they are women. I'm also a softball fan and I have great respect for the women who play and who have played the game. I am also a Jessica Mendoza fan. I've followed her career almost as long as I've followed softball. She was an incredible outfielder and one of the most gifted hitters to play the game. But I think the most upsetting thing for me is that this guy was blessed with a platform that he could've used for something positive like lifting up and supporting women but Tuesday night he made a choice to instead use his platform for something negative and tore not just Jessica Mendoza down but women and softball. Not everyone has that opportunity and I can't fathom using that opportunity in such a negative and disgusting way!
He said Jessica is not qualified to call that game but I wonder if he spent any time at all looking at her background. She is the daughter of a baseball coach. She grew up watching and playing baseball like many softball players. She looked up to baseball players. But she eventually ,for one reason or another, made the move from baseball to softball. She played at Stanford, for the national team, and in the NPF for USSSA Florida Pride. She's an All-American and an Olympic Gold and Silver medalist. I know people like Mr.Bell like to pretend baseball is much different more complicated sport than softball and a woman couldn't possibly understand it the way a man can but they are wrong. There are differences but the basics are the same. You don't have to listen to her long before you realize she knows baseball and for Mr. Bell to assume she doesn't because she has breasts and played softball is ridiculous. But more than knowing baseball, she knows what it's like to play a sport at the highest level because she's done it! She's worked hard, she's sacrificed so much, and their is no good reason for to not get to call that game.
The only thing Mr. Bell showed on Twitter that night was he knew nothing about Jessica Mendoza, or softball, or female athletes. It was a big reminder to me that while softball and women have made huge strides there is still a long long way to go. I think as much anger as I felt about Mr.Bell's comments I felt so much more sadness because he is just the one whose comments were seen because of his job and there is still so much ignorance and sexism out there. I hope to one day have a daughter and I can only hope and pray if I do I bring her into a world that has much less sexism than our world today.
If I could ask one thing of Mr.Bell it would be to put away his sexist ego, shut his mouth, and go take in an NPF game and spend sometime with those ladies. I think it would do him a world of good and make him feel like a real moron...at least I hope it would.
This is an article with all of Mike Bell's tweets:
http://thebiglead.com/2015/10/07/mike-bell-jessica-mendoza-twitter-suspended/
This is an article with Jessica Mendoza's classy response:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/interviews/a47579/jessica-mendoza-female-analyst-mlb/
Sunday, August 3, 2014
That one player
I think all sports fans have that one player that just defines that sport for them. I think we all have that player that made us love a sport and truly understand it on a whole new level. Maybe though, it's just me that does. I love football and sure part of it is because I'm a born and raised Texas girl. I've enjoyed football at the pee wee level all the way up to pro and pretty well all levels in between. But it wasn't until I saw the great Peyton Manning throw a football that I really got it. He made me truly love football and I'm going to bawl like a baby when the day comes that he retires lol. He plays the sport with such passion. He literally pours himself into the game. Most people never thought he'd come back from all the neck surgeries, let alone do what he did last season. It was just simply amazing and I feel so honored I got to watch. But Peyton Manning has proven himself to be not just an amazing athlete but person. He never puts the game above people and goes out of his way to act with class. It's a breath of fresh air to see a professional male athlete with that kind of character. I love soccer because of Hope Solo. She's made some bad decisions but I can't make myself not want to watch her make save after save after save. She's fought tooth and toe nail to get where she is and I have so much respect for that. Sure there are several other soccer players I really like and enjoy watching but Hope Solo is where it all started for me. She's strong and passionate. She refuses to be the quiet wall flower society expects female athletes to be. If women's professional sports are to continue to grow and thrive we NEED more Hope Solos. Women with her firey passion and leadership are what keeps these sports moving forward.
But as you all probably know my biggest passion is softball and its also probably not much of a secret that it really started with Danielle Lawrie! I've always liked to watch softball. It was something we always watched. My dad played slow pitch when I was a kid. But when I started watching Danielle it changed. Much like Peyton Manning and Hope Solo, Danielle has always played with so much passion and just pulled me in. When I first started watching her she was a young girl fighting for her place in the world of softball and now almost 10 years later she has more than made her mark on the sport! She wasn't on a big name travel ball team or recruited by half a dozen schools. But she did everything she could with what she had and got noticed by Coach Tarr and Washington. Her career at Washington was incredible! Her name is all over the record book. She was key in the 2009 National Championship team. She was the National Player of the year, twice. That's just the tip of the iceberg. She put Washington softball on the map and this past season they retired her jersey! I was so happy for her and I can't think of too many more people more deserving! She played for team Canada, including in the Olympics! She is probably the best known Canadian softball player. She inspired many Canadian girls to pick up a softball. Currently she is playing for the Pride and has had a wonderful career for them! Yesterday she announced this will be her last season and I am a bundle of emotions about it. I'm sad to see her career end. It's crazy to me to think in the next few weeks I'll watch her pitch for the last time. I'd love to see her take one more at bat also. She swung a mean bat back in the day lol. I wish her career could last longer but she could play 10 more years and I'd still feel that way. But mostly I feel honored I got to watch and enjoy her career! When I think of her career, the moment I always seem to think of was Super Regionals in 2010. Oklahoma came to Seattle and the first game Danielle really struggled! It was probably the single worst game I've ever seen her pitch. The next day she came out and dominated OU in two games to send Washington back to the WCWS. It was incredible but it was vintage Danielle. She is tough and resilient. She always gives 100% when she is playing. She is incredibly humble. It has been nothing but an honor to watch her grow and mature into the person she is today. I am so thankful for all the memories! Although she will no longer be playing, I know she'll continue to be a big part of the softball world. She'll leave it much better than she found it! I wish her nothing but the best and look forward to seeing where life takes her! I know big things are ahead for her! But for now I am going to soak up every chance I get to see her pitch! I'll post a video with just a few highlights from her days at Washington and maybe some other videos if I can get them to post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF5nkXiP2YE
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
I'm going to get back to blogging :)
Well the WCWS is over and Florida is the national champion. It makes me feel a little better about them beating the Huskies....a little lol.
I really wanted this group of seniors to end their careers in OKC. They really deserved it but deserving and earning it are unfortunately two different things. On the flip side as I look at what girls will be left next year and who is coming in and feels like Huskies are along way from another trip to WCWS and certainly another championship. I hope I'm wrong, I really do. But it really felt like if a class was going to do it again, it was going to be that one. I'm super super proud of them but also heartbroken for them. But this is the world of college softball. Girls come and girls go. I'm ready to be surprised and blown away by this new group of girls!
Congrats to the Gators though! They really did play amazing in the post season. Also congrats to Bama on being runner up! I know it feels like first loser right now for them but they had a fabulous regular and post season and they have nothing to hang their heads about! I can't believe I'll never see Jackie Traina playing in a Bama uniform again! She single handedly made me love Alabama softball :). I wish her all the best in her future! What a career she had! It kind of felt like Bama and Jackie ran out of gas. I also felt the same way about Oregon and Cheridan Hawkins. Oklahoma gave it all they had but they just weren't quite there yet. I love love love Shelby Pendley and thank God every time I watch her play that she plays for the Sooners now and not Arizona lol! Great things ahead for Oklahoma and Kentucky! Nunley for Kentucky was incredible! nother great college softball season in the books and it didn't disappoint :).
Well the NPF season kicked off and it was ever bit as weird as I thought it would be to see Jenn Salling, Lauren Lappin, and Sarah Pauly playing for another team. It was a slow start for the Pride but I have faith it will get better. But I tell you Jenn, Lauren, and Sarah made the Pride look real dumb for trading them lol. They both played great! I see good things ahead for the Rebellion this season, which in turn will be good for the NPF! I just hope they've found a home and an owner and finally some stability. The instability of that team only adds to the instability of the league. It was great to see Danielle Lawrie pitch again! She only threw 4 innings(2 in one game and 2 in another) but they were good innings and will only get better. I actually enjoyed watching the Pride more than I thought I would! It was rough at times but there is just something so different about pro ball than college ball and it is amazing to watch :). On that note big big congrats to Kaitlin Inglesby on signing a contract with the Racers! She's going to be great and I'm so glad I'll get to enjoy watching her grow as a player and person for awhile longer!
Well that's all I got right now :)! Hopefully more of my thoughts on the WCWS later but I make no promises lol. Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! Go Pride!
I really wanted this group of seniors to end their careers in OKC. They really deserved it but deserving and earning it are unfortunately two different things. On the flip side as I look at what girls will be left next year and who is coming in and feels like Huskies are along way from another trip to WCWS and certainly another championship. I hope I'm wrong, I really do. But it really felt like if a class was going to do it again, it was going to be that one. I'm super super proud of them but also heartbroken for them. But this is the world of college softball. Girls come and girls go. I'm ready to be surprised and blown away by this new group of girls!
Congrats to the Gators though! They really did play amazing in the post season. Also congrats to Bama on being runner up! I know it feels like first loser right now for them but they had a fabulous regular and post season and they have nothing to hang their heads about! I can't believe I'll never see Jackie Traina playing in a Bama uniform again! She single handedly made me love Alabama softball :). I wish her all the best in her future! What a career she had! It kind of felt like Bama and Jackie ran out of gas. I also felt the same way about Oregon and Cheridan Hawkins. Oklahoma gave it all they had but they just weren't quite there yet. I love love love Shelby Pendley and thank God every time I watch her play that she plays for the Sooners now and not Arizona lol! Great things ahead for Oklahoma and Kentucky! Nunley for Kentucky was incredible! nother great college softball season in the books and it didn't disappoint :).
Well the NPF season kicked off and it was ever bit as weird as I thought it would be to see Jenn Salling, Lauren Lappin, and Sarah Pauly playing for another team. It was a slow start for the Pride but I have faith it will get better. But I tell you Jenn, Lauren, and Sarah made the Pride look real dumb for trading them lol. They both played great! I see good things ahead for the Rebellion this season, which in turn will be good for the NPF! I just hope they've found a home and an owner and finally some stability. The instability of that team only adds to the instability of the league. It was great to see Danielle Lawrie pitch again! She only threw 4 innings(2 in one game and 2 in another) but they were good innings and will only get better. I actually enjoyed watching the Pride more than I thought I would! It was rough at times but there is just something so different about pro ball than college ball and it is amazing to watch :). On that note big big congrats to Kaitlin Inglesby on signing a contract with the Racers! She's going to be great and I'm so glad I'll get to enjoy watching her grow as a player and person for awhile longer!
Well that's all I got right now :)! Hopefully more of my thoughts on the WCWS later but I make no promises lol. Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! Go Pride!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
And the season is over..
It's been a few days now since the Huskies were eliminated and I feel like it's time to write my second and last blog of the season lol. I did a terrible job keeping up with the blog this season :(. It was a great season and it was heartbreaking to see it end, especially before OKC and the WCWS.
This was a great team. This was a team full of talent. But it never felt like it really came together like last years team did. This was the first time the Huskies really had high expectations for them from people outside the program and fans. They had a lot to deal with. But overall I'm proud of them! They battled the whole season right up until the end. I am going to dearly miss those 7 seniors! They were an incredible group! Next year is going to be interesting for sure! Lots of holes to fill! But a big thank you and good luck to this year's seniors! I know the future is very bright for all of them :)
Well the NPF season starts this weekend. I still can't believe they decided to start at the same time as the WCWS! So dumb! Honestly I'm having a hard time finding any excitement for this season. They hired a coach I don't like for the Pride and then they traded a big chunk of my favorite players. The only bright spot is that Danielle Lawrie will be back! I know that once the season gets going I'll get over it but ugh lol. Right now I'm pouting!
Good luck to OU and Alabama in the WCWS!!
This was a great team. This was a team full of talent. But it never felt like it really came together like last years team did. This was the first time the Huskies really had high expectations for them from people outside the program and fans. They had a lot to deal with. But overall I'm proud of them! They battled the whole season right up until the end. I am going to dearly miss those 7 seniors! They were an incredible group! Next year is going to be interesting for sure! Lots of holes to fill! But a big thank you and good luck to this year's seniors! I know the future is very bright for all of them :)
Well the NPF season starts this weekend. I still can't believe they decided to start at the same time as the WCWS! So dumb! Honestly I'm having a hard time finding any excitement for this season. They hired a coach I don't like for the Pride and then they traded a big chunk of my favorite players. The only bright spot is that Danielle Lawrie will be back! I know that once the season gets going I'll get over it but ugh lol. Right now I'm pouting!
Good luck to OU and Alabama in the WCWS!!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Update Update Update
I have tried to update on here 150 times since the Women's College World Series but it just didn't happen. At first I was just trying to really soak it in and enjoy it. I also wanted to really think about what I was going to say. Before I got back to update my computer died. I am writing is on a Kindle. It is not very easy, so please forgive any typos lol. Well there is much I want to update and talk about, so I'm going to jump right in.
The WCWS was incredible. The Huskies did so much more than anyone(myself included) thought they would! Let me first say that the weather was crazy if you don't remember. They had one evening that all the teams and stuff spent taking tornado precautions at their hotel. I felt so bad for everyone because I knew most of those girls had never dealt with tornadoes but everyone did a great job staying calm and everyone was safe and sound. I was so glad that they delayed the games the day of the tornadoes way before people were set to arrive. That kept a lot of people safe. But anyway the Huskies had a great run and finished tied for 3rd with Texas. They did so behind fabulous pitching and fabulous defense. The offense was frankly cold but they got the runs when they needed them. When I think about last year's team and this year's as well the thing that really jumps out at me is the leadership. They had a very strong junior and senior class last year and again this year. In my opinion and I've said this before it's starts in the circle. There were very high hopes for Kaitlin Inglesby from day one but Bryana Walker has been a little bit of a surprise and she just continues to improve. It's been amazing to watch! Words fall short in describing how proud I was of what last year's team did. They dug deep and really opened the eyes of many people. They really came together and took care of business as a team. Even facing OU in that last game they battle and gave it everything they had and I remember feeling so much pride! I really hope they can get back to OKC and make a great run again!
I'm excited about this year and so far it's off to a great start! They are 10-0 and have played really well! We lost only one senior.starter, catcher Shawna Wright. Kimberlee Souza was supposed to take over behind the plate but she suffered a torn ACL in the Fall. There is some hope she'll be back by the end of the season. I guess we'll see what happens. Courtney Gano is doing the catching right now and for someone who has not done any catching in college she's done great. Kylee Lahners has been swinging am insanely hot bat so far. I hope she keeps that up. I've been super impressed with freshman Aly Aguilar! Hopefully she'll continue to do well. 2 weeks in and they've already received 3 big weekly awards, which if I remember correctly is more than the whole season last years lol. Kylee Lahners was USA softball player of the week last week and this week she is Pac-12 player of the week and Bryana Walker is NFCA player of the week! They had a great win and ended it with a win over OU in which Bryana had a career high 14ks and only gave up 3 hits! I'll talk more about them in the next blog. This was just my general thoughts on the season so far. I'll also talk more about other teams. But this is going to be long enough lol.
Also got to watch the Pride win the championship series! It was amazing and can't wait until the next season starts! I loved watching JT D'Amico coach them and was really sad to hear he wasn't coming back. I was and am less than thrilled with the person who will be taking over and that's probably putting it mildly but I am doing my best to keep an open mind lol.
Well the Winter Olympics are in full swing and I'm loving it!! I love seeing so many sports that you only see during the Olympics. I love the luge, the skeleton, and the bobsled. I love the ice skating. I adored watching and learning about Jason Brown. Watching him skate makes me want to get up and dance lol. But I read an article by a Canadian writer that made me super mad! I'll try to put a link to the article at the end. Basically she was saying that the ice dance scores were rigged and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir got screwed. It was really quite a fit she threw. The Kindle won't let me post a comment to it, so this is what I would say to her. While you waited to scream foul, you missed everything! This was most likely the last time they would skate on Olympic ice and skated beautifully! If that is the last time I'll see them skate, I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. They skated with their whole heart and gave it everything they had. At the end of the day weather their medal is silver or gold is really irrelevant. By feeling the need to throw a fit for them, you are taking away from what they did. Any other Olympics, that would have been gold. But Meryl Davis and Charlie White have worked hard as well and this is probably their last Olympics too. I could understand the fit if this was like the first time they'd beat them. But it isn't. In fact, they've beat them head to head almost every time they've faced off since the last Olympics. Where those judges also paid off? Both of these couples skated incredibly and neither have anything to be ashamed about! Instead of screaming about something you know nothing about, go back and enjoy the beauty that was those two skates. Go back and really soak them in because the days of watching the beauty that is both Virtue and Moir and Davis and White are limited and drawing quickly to a close. A day is soon approaching that we won't be able to enjoy that and I don't want my last time watching them being clouded with my own personal hang ups and drama.
Well this is really long so I'm going to wrap it up :). Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama! FTG!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Huskies are headed back to OKC!
What a couple of weekends for the Huskies! Huskies went 3-0 in their Regional last weekend. In fact, Bryanna Walker no hit Hawaii and they ruled them 8-0 in the last game of the weekend! Offense wasn't a little sluggish in the first 2 games but they found their groove in the 3rd game. They fought, clawed and battled the whole weekend and came up with 3 great team wins! They set themselves up for a rematch in Supers with Mizzou. I honestly didn't know what to think about this weekend. I knew Mizzou is a good team and they have a fabulous pitcher in Chelsea Thomas. I was nervous about it. But I had a good feeling. Despite what a LOT of people seem to think this is not the same team from 2011. Kaitlin Inglesby is not the same pitcher, Bryanna walker is 100% and pitching as well as she has probably in her entire career, Huskies D has been lights out all season, and the offense has been clutch. I never doubted the talent was there but I wondered if everything would come together.
Yesterday Kaitlin got the start and it was pretty much a pitching dual between her and Chelsea Thomas until the bottom of the 6th when Mizzou got on the board. It really seemed like that would be enough... But the Huskies had other ideas. Kaitlin got on and was lifted for a PR. The PR was able to move up to 2nd on a wild pitch and senior Shawna Wright knocked her in with a single to tie up the game. Bryanna came in and sat Mizzou down in order in the 7th. Kelli Suguro hit single and reach 2nd on a bad throw to start the 8th and Victoria Hayward hammered a ball to the outfield for a double to bring Kelli home for the go ahead run and Bryanna shut them down to win the game!
I felt the Huskies had a very good chance to win and advance today. But I also felt that with Chelsea Thomas in the circle for Mizzou anything was possible! I normally have this superstition of not wearing my national championship shirt on game day. The few times I have they always lost. But this morning I was feeling it! There was no other shirt I wanted to wear more today and so I put it on and this time it worked! Kylee Lahners robbed a 2 run HR in the top of the 1st and Victoria Hayward hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 1st and that was pretty all that was needed. Bryanna and Kaitlin again combined for a great game. The defense was stellar! Not just these 2 games but the whole season! One of the best defenses the Huskies have ever had and one of the best in the country I'd say.
I just could not be more happy for them right now! This group of girls are very very special! I think about last season and I think we got a little taste of what these girls were made of in pre-season. But when Pac-12 season started things fell apart. I look back at those blogs and I remember how frustrating it was the watch and I remember the frustration I could see on their faces. But the beauty is those are the games where the biggest lessons come from. It's very interesting to me the thing that was maybe the worst part of the game for the Huskies is now the best, not just for this season but the best defense the Huskies have had in a long long time... maybe ever. The defense last season was no where near the top, they were a hot mess. But this year the experience, the chemistry, the talent, and the right combination of players has led to an extremely strong defense which in turn leads to better pitching. When a pitcher know she can count on her defense to back her up, she is going to be more relaxed and it opens up her pitch availability. But all around this team is more well rounded. Coach Tarr has done a fantastic job with these girls! But it took alot of disappointment, alot of hard lessons, and even more practice to get here.
At the end of the game Kaitlin Inglesby and Bryanna Walker hugged for a long time and it was probably the most beautiful and emotional moment for me. If there are 2 pitchers who have fought through more adversity than those 2, I don't know who they are! Kaitlin is 80% deaf, has Graves disease, and was smashed in the face with a ball off of Hooch Fagaly's bat leaving her with 47 breaks in her face(you don't even have 47 bones in your face). She also had issues with injuries last season and pitched almost every inning her freshman season. Bryanna Walker broke her leg her freshman year and had to have a rod put in it(it's purple btw lol). And what few people know is she also lost her father. But they both just kept pushing on! They are the co-leaders of this team! The trials of their early careers have made them strong, confident competitors and leaders. The taste of defeat in Super Regionals the last 2 years that both experienced has put a fire in their bellies! I read a blog earlier that referred to them as a two headed monster lol. The blog was poorly written and frankly didn't give enough credit to these two women for what they've accomplished but I think the person who wrote it got that right! They are a great 1-2 punch and are such different pitchers that it's really hard for hitters to adjust! I know this was sweet revenge for Kaitlin. I remember how upset she was when they lost in 2011. You could just see she was putting the full blame on herself. The smile on her face and Bryanna's face was just... priceless!
Two more players who I think are leaders for this team and strong competitors are Shawna Wright and Victoria Hayward. Shawna's bat has not always been the best but as a catcher she is one of the best! She is also a great leader! I love watching her with the pitchers. She is always smiling and always able to get them to smile and take a deep breath. The thing about Shawna was that there was no easing into the role. She came in right after Alicia Blake graduated and was expected to catch Danielle Lawrie, probably the best division 1 pitcher in the country at the time. You might think she would be a little intimidated but if she was she never showed it. She stepped in there and caught Danielle like she was a Senior too. The next year she took on an even bigger challenge, catching a freshman when she herself was still pretty inexperienced and on top of that new pitcher was 80% deaf! She's done great though! The Huskies have 4 pitchers(plus one other player who can pitch) and she has caught all of them. Shawna is a senior and no matter what happens in OKC 2 thins are certain about her career. First off it will draw to a close and second off she's left her mark all over this program! I will miss watching her play for the Huskies. I'll miss that big smile and the passion she plays with. Victoria Hayward has always been a favorite of mine. She has always been great in the field and a strong hitter but this season has seen her really step forward and take on a huge leadership role(I've written more about her in previous blogs you can check them out). Hooch Fagaly is another who has really stepped up. Honestly at one point in time every one of these girls has stepped and made a play, or got a clutch hit, or scored a key run. That's the beauty of this team! It's not just one player, it's all of them and they wouldn't be where they are without every single one of them! This team plays with passion and energy! I love watching them play!
I'm done babbling now lol! No idea if any of this even made any sense! I am just so happy and proud of them! Congrats to the Huskies on sweeping Mizzou and being the first team to punch their ticket to the WCWS! I of course would love to see them win it all but whatever happens I'm proud to call myself a Husky fan!
I'll update on other things and teams later. I just wanted to take the time to congratulate the Huskies and express my happiness and pride!
Go Huskies!!
Yesterday Kaitlin got the start and it was pretty much a pitching dual between her and Chelsea Thomas until the bottom of the 6th when Mizzou got on the board. It really seemed like that would be enough... But the Huskies had other ideas. Kaitlin got on and was lifted for a PR. The PR was able to move up to 2nd on a wild pitch and senior Shawna Wright knocked her in with a single to tie up the game. Bryanna came in and sat Mizzou down in order in the 7th. Kelli Suguro hit single and reach 2nd on a bad throw to start the 8th and Victoria Hayward hammered a ball to the outfield for a double to bring Kelli home for the go ahead run and Bryanna shut them down to win the game!
I felt the Huskies had a very good chance to win and advance today. But I also felt that with Chelsea Thomas in the circle for Mizzou anything was possible! I normally have this superstition of not wearing my national championship shirt on game day. The few times I have they always lost. But this morning I was feeling it! There was no other shirt I wanted to wear more today and so I put it on and this time it worked! Kylee Lahners robbed a 2 run HR in the top of the 1st and Victoria Hayward hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 1st and that was pretty all that was needed. Bryanna and Kaitlin again combined for a great game. The defense was stellar! Not just these 2 games but the whole season! One of the best defenses the Huskies have ever had and one of the best in the country I'd say.
I just could not be more happy for them right now! This group of girls are very very special! I think about last season and I think we got a little taste of what these girls were made of in pre-season. But when Pac-12 season started things fell apart. I look back at those blogs and I remember how frustrating it was the watch and I remember the frustration I could see on their faces. But the beauty is those are the games where the biggest lessons come from. It's very interesting to me the thing that was maybe the worst part of the game for the Huskies is now the best, not just for this season but the best defense the Huskies have had in a long long time... maybe ever. The defense last season was no where near the top, they were a hot mess. But this year the experience, the chemistry, the talent, and the right combination of players has led to an extremely strong defense which in turn leads to better pitching. When a pitcher know she can count on her defense to back her up, she is going to be more relaxed and it opens up her pitch availability. But all around this team is more well rounded. Coach Tarr has done a fantastic job with these girls! But it took alot of disappointment, alot of hard lessons, and even more practice to get here.
At the end of the game Kaitlin Inglesby and Bryanna Walker hugged for a long time and it was probably the most beautiful and emotional moment for me. If there are 2 pitchers who have fought through more adversity than those 2, I don't know who they are! Kaitlin is 80% deaf, has Graves disease, and was smashed in the face with a ball off of Hooch Fagaly's bat leaving her with 47 breaks in her face(you don't even have 47 bones in your face). She also had issues with injuries last season and pitched almost every inning her freshman season. Bryanna Walker broke her leg her freshman year and had to have a rod put in it(it's purple btw lol). And what few people know is she also lost her father. But they both just kept pushing on! They are the co-leaders of this team! The trials of their early careers have made them strong, confident competitors and leaders. The taste of defeat in Super Regionals the last 2 years that both experienced has put a fire in their bellies! I read a blog earlier that referred to them as a two headed monster lol. The blog was poorly written and frankly didn't give enough credit to these two women for what they've accomplished but I think the person who wrote it got that right! They are a great 1-2 punch and are such different pitchers that it's really hard for hitters to adjust! I know this was sweet revenge for Kaitlin. I remember how upset she was when they lost in 2011. You could just see she was putting the full blame on herself. The smile on her face and Bryanna's face was just... priceless!
Two more players who I think are leaders for this team and strong competitors are Shawna Wright and Victoria Hayward. Shawna's bat has not always been the best but as a catcher she is one of the best! She is also a great leader! I love watching her with the pitchers. She is always smiling and always able to get them to smile and take a deep breath. The thing about Shawna was that there was no easing into the role. She came in right after Alicia Blake graduated and was expected to catch Danielle Lawrie, probably the best division 1 pitcher in the country at the time. You might think she would be a little intimidated but if she was she never showed it. She stepped in there and caught Danielle like she was a Senior too. The next year she took on an even bigger challenge, catching a freshman when she herself was still pretty inexperienced and on top of that new pitcher was 80% deaf! She's done great though! The Huskies have 4 pitchers(plus one other player who can pitch) and she has caught all of them. Shawna is a senior and no matter what happens in OKC 2 thins are certain about her career. First off it will draw to a close and second off she's left her mark all over this program! I will miss watching her play for the Huskies. I'll miss that big smile and the passion she plays with. Victoria Hayward has always been a favorite of mine. She has always been great in the field and a strong hitter but this season has seen her really step forward and take on a huge leadership role(I've written more about her in previous blogs you can check them out). Hooch Fagaly is another who has really stepped up. Honestly at one point in time every one of these girls has stepped and made a play, or got a clutch hit, or scored a key run. That's the beauty of this team! It's not just one player, it's all of them and they wouldn't be where they are without every single one of them! This team plays with passion and energy! I love watching them play!
I'm done babbling now lol! No idea if any of this even made any sense! I am just so happy and proud of them! Congrats to the Huskies on sweeping Mizzou and being the first team to punch their ticket to the WCWS! I of course would love to see them win it all but whatever happens I'm proud to call myself a Husky fan!
I'll update on other things and teams later. I just wanted to take the time to congratulate the Huskies and express my happiness and pride!
Go Huskies!!
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