Honestly with both Bama and OU advancing to the championship final series, it feels like the season is over lol! I don't care who wins! I love both of these teams and both of their coaches! I think it will be a great series and one of them winning is just icing on the cake! Both teams have bene playing great ball and I proud of both of them! The only thing that could make this better is if it was the Huskies in but this is the next best thing! The first time in 26 years(I'm only 24 so even before my time) that a Pac-12 team is not in the final! That's pretty awesom and says alot for how far this sport has come! It's been a crazy post season, I honestly would have never guessed neither ASU or Cal would make the final. Cal seemed to really crash when the post season hit. Their powerful offense really hit a bad spot and Jolene Henderson really seemed to struggle. Saddly for them they graduate a rather large group of seniors including Valerie Arioto, the Reid sisters, Jace Williams, and Frani Echavarria. So they lose a great deal of experience, talent, and leadership. I'm not saying they can't do it, I'm just saying losing 2 5 year seniors is going to hurt, especially one like Arioto! ASU will also lose some key players, Boyd, Bach, and Lockwood are the ones that come to my mind. Congrats to both teams and both group of seniors! RTR Go Bama and Boomer Sooner!!
I have now had a week think back on the 2012 season for the Huskies and although it's still sad and really feels like a dispointment in the way it ended there are so many great things ahead! Even with all the struggles Kaitlin Inglesby had this season she still puts up the numbers she did and earns 2nd team All-American honors! That just shows you the raw talent that girl has I think! I am as excited as anybody to see Joclyn Cater join the team next year but I think this team still belongs to Kaitlin. Frankly she has carried this team on her shoulders for 2 seasons and I think she will take this team along way. I think to take that from her would be wrong. These girls look up to Kaitlin, she is a great leader, she is incredibly talented, and she in my opinion is key to getting this team back to OKC and back to a national championship! I think as heartbreaking as this season was at times, it laid down a foundation for better things to come. When you look back at 2008 season, you'll find it wasn't a season full of success and roses. It was a rough year. Grant it, they were without Danielle Lawrie and Ashley Charters but I believe that season set up those players to be able to hang tough through the ups and downs of that next season. It helped them understand the game better. It helped be better players. It helped them win a national championship! The foundation of national championship team isn't laid in one season or two seasons. It's laid in many seasons. Diamonds are made over night, it takes years and tons and tons and tons of pressure! The same goes here I think. I think this is the start of something great for this program and I can't wait to see what it is! I already miss watching the Huskies and I am already looking forward to next season!
Well the girls who play in the Japanese league will be headed home tonight/tomorrow and that can mean only 1 thing.... NPF season!! NPF season starts Thursday! They have a fantasy league this year! I think that is so awesome!! I have my teams drafed and ready to go and can't wait to see how they do! Pride returns most of their team from last year and will add some great draftees including my personal fav, Nikia Williams!! Can't wait to watch her play for the Pride and play with Danielle, Ashley, and Jenn again! It should be a great season and I am so excited to get it started!!
Well I can't think of anything else right now! So good luck to both the Bama girls and the Sooner girls today and tomorrow! Stay safe and enjoy every minute!! RTR Go Bama and Boomer Sooner!! Go Huskies!!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
All good things must come to an end
After a very up and down, rough season and 2 losses to Cal this weekend the Husky season is over. Kaitlin pitched yesterday and I really felt she pitched well after the first inning. But the Huskies had no answer to Jolene Henderson. Bryana Walker pitched tonight and pitched even better than Kaitlin did. She didn't give a hit until the 5th. But all Cal needed was a 2 run HR because gain the offense couldn't come through. The offense looked better tonight than they did last night but again they couldn't find the big hit. I can''t say I am surprised they lost and the season is over. But I don't think any amount of knowledge prepares you for the emotions of it really being over. It then occurs to me if I feel this emotional and weepy how do the Huskies feel, especially the seniors! I feel really heartbroken right now. I know how hard those ladies fought last weekend to get here and how hard they fought last night and tonight. I know they must be heartbroken.
On the other hand I think there is plenty to look forward to! This is a young team and they've got plenty of time to figure this out! So to those players I say keep fighting, be confident, and don't forget to enjoy the ride! It goes by so fast and it will be over before you know it! To the seniors I say no regrets! You 4 are leaving behind a wonderful legacy and will always be in the hearts of Husky fans everywhere! I know you're heartbroken now and my heart breaks with you. But don't forget to look back on the good and there is so much of it! Congrats on 4 amazing seasons!
I enjoyed watching the games yesterday and today! It was fun to actually see the ladies on TV! I love watching Coach Tarr work and that will never change! She is so positive and loves the game so much. I watch her talking to her hitters and I don't even know what she is saying but just the look on her face makes me want to get out there and hit the ball lol!
I'm pretty tired and emotional now. I will come back later and discuss the Bama and OU. I really like both of those teams but my heart will always bleed purple and gold! So right now I can't really think much about them. Lots of great Super Regionals and lots of great teams moving on. But right now I just feel sad! That is all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama!
P.S. Not long now until NPF starts and they have a new fantasy league I will discuss later! It's pretty awesome!
On the other hand I think there is plenty to look forward to! This is a young team and they've got plenty of time to figure this out! So to those players I say keep fighting, be confident, and don't forget to enjoy the ride! It goes by so fast and it will be over before you know it! To the seniors I say no regrets! You 4 are leaving behind a wonderful legacy and will always be in the hearts of Husky fans everywhere! I know you're heartbroken now and my heart breaks with you. But don't forget to look back on the good and there is so much of it! Congrats on 4 amazing seasons!
I enjoyed watching the games yesterday and today! It was fun to actually see the ladies on TV! I love watching Coach Tarr work and that will never change! She is so positive and loves the game so much. I watch her talking to her hitters and I don't even know what she is saying but just the look on her face makes me want to get out there and hit the ball lol!
I'm pretty tired and emotional now. I will come back later and discuss the Bama and OU. I really like both of those teams but my heart will always bleed purple and gold! So right now I can't really think much about them. Lots of great Super Regionals and lots of great teams moving on. But right now I just feel sad! That is all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama!
P.S. Not long now until NPF starts and they have a new fantasy league I will discuss later! It's pretty awesome!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Regionals!
What a weekend! Washington ended up getting host(I honestly didn't think they would) and they were the 16th seed. They had Texas Tech, Harvard, and Maryland in their Regional. I was most worried about Tech. They had knocked off Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri during the regular season. So I knew they were good! I honestly didn't know what to expect from the Huskies. That last weekend of the regular season was a nightmare and I really hoped we didn't get a repeat.
They started off playing Harvard on Friday. Kaitlin Inglesby got the start in the circle and she was lights out! She gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and had 7 strikeouts! She seemed to find her confidence again and be feeling better! Offense was not great but in the 4th Jerrin and Shawna both got on and Kimberlee Souza knocked a 2 RBI double! That was all the runs they would need! Saturday they played Tech. I was pretty nervous for this game. Kasey Stanchek got the start and pitched 4 hitless innings! She did walk 4 but hung tough and bounced back. Kaitlin Inglesby came in, in the 5th after Kasey walked the first batter she saw on 4 pitches. Kaitlin gave up 2 hits, hit 1, and struckout 2. Huskies scored one run on a bases loaded walk to Kylee Lahners and Shawna Wright(whose bat was hot this weekend!) knocked in a run with single! Again because of the great pitch effort of Kasey and Kaitlin that was all the runs they needed. That win put them into the Regional Championship today. It's been probably since the preseason that I've felt as relaxed and calm about a Husky game as I did this one today! I just knew they were going to win this game and head into the Super Reigionals! Bryana Walker got the start in the circle. Huskies were the visiting team in this game and started off the game well. Victoria Hayward reached on an error and promptly stole 2nd! Kaitlin hit a single and Victoria scored to give the Huskies the early the lead(turns out that 1 run would be enough to win but they weren't done!). Bryana walked the first batter she saw on 4 straight balls. She then buckled down and struck out the next two batters and got the next hitter to ground out to her. In the 4th inning, Shawna Wright got on with a single and a few batters later Victoria Hayward walked. Niki Williams came to the plate with 2 on and 2 out and smashed a ball out of the park to put the Huskies up 4-0! Bryana continued to pitch well and work her way out of jams. In the 7th, she gave up a lead of single and I started to worry a little bit but my worries were unfounded. She struck out the next 3 batters to send the Huskies to the Super Regionals! She went 7 innings gave up only 4 hits, 2 walks, hit 1, and stuck out 7! Huskies didn't allow a single run this weekend! Pitching was great and defense was great! They made a couple of changes to the defense. The biggest being moving Kimberlee Souza from SS to 3rd base and moving Courtney Gano from 3rd base to SS. I wasn't so sure about the move at first but I think it's actually going to work out well! Courtney did a great job at SS this weekend and other than a couple of issues Kimberlee did nice at 3rd base! Offense was still not dominating but they scored runs when they needed to! It was a great weekend and I shed some tears when that game ended today! I am so unbelievably proud of these ladies and what they did this weekend! Alot of people thought Tech would upset them and it just didn't happen! It didn't happen because the Huskies didn't let it! This team has had it's fair share of struggles but I never for one minute felt they stopped fighting! They play Cal in Berkley for Super Regionals. Honestly I don't know what will happen next weekend but no matter what happens I'm proud of this team and I'm proud that they've made it back to Super Regionals! I would love to see them beat Cal and make it to OKC but I am not naive and I know it's going to be very hard for them to do that! But no matter what this young team has shown fight, serious talent, heart, and they are gaining some great experience from this! Nice weekend ladies! You made this Husky fan very proud!!
Other crazy things going on this weekend was both UCLA and Florida being eliminated! Things started off bad for Florida when it broke that 3 of their starters had been suspended and wouldn't play Friday night. By the time their game was over it was breaking that those players weren't just suspended but had been released from the team. They lost the game Friday night. They won one game Saturday but couldn't get past USF. I don't know what happened and I'm not even going to make any guesses. I'm just going to say that I think it's sad to see a team like Florida ripped apart like that and I wish them all the best! I feel so bad for Michelle Moultrie. I know this was not at all how she pictured her senior season ending! UCLA has been known all season as the team with a great offense and no pitching. Well this weekend they had little offense and actually pretty good pitching. They lost to Hofstra Friday night and Florida State on Saturday to end their season.
Sooners had a great Regional and will host Arizona next weekend! Jessica Shultz had a grand slam HR and a solo HR in today's game to knock off Oregon State! Very happy for them! Bama also had a great weekend and they will host Michigan next weekend! I'm looking forward to next weekend and all the great games!
There is so much happiness and great things about this time of year but there is also some sadness. As these teams are knocked out and their seasons end we see the end of so many great careers. I already mentioned Michelle Moultrie. But we also saw the end of Stephanie Ricketts, Ashley Hansen, Jenna Caira, and many other great careers! I just want to take a moment and tell these ladies congrats on wonderful careers and thank them for what they did for their schools and the sport of softball!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies!! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama!!
They started off playing Harvard on Friday. Kaitlin Inglesby got the start in the circle and she was lights out! She gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and had 7 strikeouts! She seemed to find her confidence again and be feeling better! Offense was not great but in the 4th Jerrin and Shawna both got on and Kimberlee Souza knocked a 2 RBI double! That was all the runs they would need! Saturday they played Tech. I was pretty nervous for this game. Kasey Stanchek got the start and pitched 4 hitless innings! She did walk 4 but hung tough and bounced back. Kaitlin Inglesby came in, in the 5th after Kasey walked the first batter she saw on 4 pitches. Kaitlin gave up 2 hits, hit 1, and struckout 2. Huskies scored one run on a bases loaded walk to Kylee Lahners and Shawna Wright(whose bat was hot this weekend!) knocked in a run with single! Again because of the great pitch effort of Kasey and Kaitlin that was all the runs they needed. That win put them into the Regional Championship today. It's been probably since the preseason that I've felt as relaxed and calm about a Husky game as I did this one today! I just knew they were going to win this game and head into the Super Reigionals! Bryana Walker got the start in the circle. Huskies were the visiting team in this game and started off the game well. Victoria Hayward reached on an error and promptly stole 2nd! Kaitlin hit a single and Victoria scored to give the Huskies the early the lead(turns out that 1 run would be enough to win but they weren't done!). Bryana walked the first batter she saw on 4 straight balls. She then buckled down and struck out the next two batters and got the next hitter to ground out to her. In the 4th inning, Shawna Wright got on with a single and a few batters later Victoria Hayward walked. Niki Williams came to the plate with 2 on and 2 out and smashed a ball out of the park to put the Huskies up 4-0! Bryana continued to pitch well and work her way out of jams. In the 7th, she gave up a lead of single and I started to worry a little bit but my worries were unfounded. She struck out the next 3 batters to send the Huskies to the Super Regionals! She went 7 innings gave up only 4 hits, 2 walks, hit 1, and stuck out 7! Huskies didn't allow a single run this weekend! Pitching was great and defense was great! They made a couple of changes to the defense. The biggest being moving Kimberlee Souza from SS to 3rd base and moving Courtney Gano from 3rd base to SS. I wasn't so sure about the move at first but I think it's actually going to work out well! Courtney did a great job at SS this weekend and other than a couple of issues Kimberlee did nice at 3rd base! Offense was still not dominating but they scored runs when they needed to! It was a great weekend and I shed some tears when that game ended today! I am so unbelievably proud of these ladies and what they did this weekend! Alot of people thought Tech would upset them and it just didn't happen! It didn't happen because the Huskies didn't let it! This team has had it's fair share of struggles but I never for one minute felt they stopped fighting! They play Cal in Berkley for Super Regionals. Honestly I don't know what will happen next weekend but no matter what happens I'm proud of this team and I'm proud that they've made it back to Super Regionals! I would love to see them beat Cal and make it to OKC but I am not naive and I know it's going to be very hard for them to do that! But no matter what this young team has shown fight, serious talent, heart, and they are gaining some great experience from this! Nice weekend ladies! You made this Husky fan very proud!!
Other crazy things going on this weekend was both UCLA and Florida being eliminated! Things started off bad for Florida when it broke that 3 of their starters had been suspended and wouldn't play Friday night. By the time their game was over it was breaking that those players weren't just suspended but had been released from the team. They lost the game Friday night. They won one game Saturday but couldn't get past USF. I don't know what happened and I'm not even going to make any guesses. I'm just going to say that I think it's sad to see a team like Florida ripped apart like that and I wish them all the best! I feel so bad for Michelle Moultrie. I know this was not at all how she pictured her senior season ending! UCLA has been known all season as the team with a great offense and no pitching. Well this weekend they had little offense and actually pretty good pitching. They lost to Hofstra Friday night and Florida State on Saturday to end their season.
Sooners had a great Regional and will host Arizona next weekend! Jessica Shultz had a grand slam HR and a solo HR in today's game to knock off Oregon State! Very happy for them! Bama also had a great weekend and they will host Michigan next weekend! I'm looking forward to next weekend and all the great games!
There is so much happiness and great things about this time of year but there is also some sadness. As these teams are knocked out and their seasons end we see the end of so many great careers. I already mentioned Michelle Moultrie. But we also saw the end of Stephanie Ricketts, Ashley Hansen, Jenna Caira, and many other great careers! I just want to take a moment and tell these ladies congrats on wonderful careers and thank them for what they did for their schools and the sport of softball!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies!! Boomer Sooner! RTR Go Bama!!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Pac-12 season is over!
I've honestly never been so glad to see Pac-12 season end. It's been very rough and heartbreaking to watch. These ladies need a new beginning and to move on. This is their new beginning. They get basically 2 weeks off before post season begins and I think that will be great. I think they need that time to rest and regroup.
Well I decided despite the fact that there weren't many I wanted to look back and find some highlights! The first one that came to mind was the 2nd OSU game where they climbed all the way back with 4 HRs from 3 different players to win. I don't know what was more impressive that game Niki Williams 2 HRs or the double play Victoria Hayward made to end the game! Either way it was a highlight and a glimmer of hope in this season. Another highlight for me was Kimberlee Souza's first career HR! Youl could just see how excited she was! I've very much enjoyed watching that young lady grow this season! She is going to be a fantastic SS, hitter, and leader for this team in the next few years I think. In that same game, Shawna Wright hit a HR as well and I always love to watch that girl hit! Kaitlin Inglesby's 3 run HR to win the Oregon game was pretty impressive as well! Her pitching hasn't been as dominating as it was earlier in the year or last year but her bat has continued to be hot hot hot! Watching Bryana Walker find her way and pitch very well has been great too! She had to deal with so much last year and I now feel we did NOT get to really see what that girl is truly made of until this year! Kasey Stanchek has also been alot of fun to watch and I see her developing into a wonderful pitcher! I've also enjoyed watching Victoria Hayward make a name for herself. In alot of ways she reminds me of Kimi Pohlman but she'll always be Victoria! She is alot fun to watch both in the field(at 1st and in the outfield both), with her bat, or my favorite on the base paths! She has some serious speed! There are alot of good things to take from this season! It was heartbreaking and sad but I see a group of young ladies who are developing into great players and thankfully they are young and they have the time! Part of growing and becoming an all around player is dealing with adversity and they've seen the worst of the worst this season. So as I see it, it can only get better from here! I am such an emotional sap lol! I've had to stop twice and wipe tears from eyes lol! I love this team and I am proud of this team! No matter what happens in two weeks, I'll always be proud of this team!
I've been busy making videos again! I love making videos and I've gotten really good and efficient at it. I made one for Kaitlin Inglesby(because as you've probably figured this girl holds a very special big place in my heart and probably always will lol), the seniors, and my newest video that I posted just a few hours ago is a tribute to the whole team. I've had it ready to go since about Wednesday or Thursday but I wanted to wait until this weekend was over to upload it and share it. But here are those 3 videos!
Well I decided despite the fact that there weren't many I wanted to look back and find some highlights! The first one that came to mind was the 2nd OSU game where they climbed all the way back with 4 HRs from 3 different players to win. I don't know what was more impressive that game Niki Williams 2 HRs or the double play Victoria Hayward made to end the game! Either way it was a highlight and a glimmer of hope in this season. Another highlight for me was Kimberlee Souza's first career HR! Youl could just see how excited she was! I've very much enjoyed watching that young lady grow this season! She is going to be a fantastic SS, hitter, and leader for this team in the next few years I think. In that same game, Shawna Wright hit a HR as well and I always love to watch that girl hit! Kaitlin Inglesby's 3 run HR to win the Oregon game was pretty impressive as well! Her pitching hasn't been as dominating as it was earlier in the year or last year but her bat has continued to be hot hot hot! Watching Bryana Walker find her way and pitch very well has been great too! She had to deal with so much last year and I now feel we did NOT get to really see what that girl is truly made of until this year! Kasey Stanchek has also been alot of fun to watch and I see her developing into a wonderful pitcher! I've also enjoyed watching Victoria Hayward make a name for herself. In alot of ways she reminds me of Kimi Pohlman but she'll always be Victoria! She is alot fun to watch both in the field(at 1st and in the outfield both), with her bat, or my favorite on the base paths! She has some serious speed! There are alot of good things to take from this season! It was heartbreaking and sad but I see a group of young ladies who are developing into great players and thankfully they are young and they have the time! Part of growing and becoming an all around player is dealing with adversity and they've seen the worst of the worst this season. So as I see it, it can only get better from here! I am such an emotional sap lol! I've had to stop twice and wipe tears from eyes lol! I love this team and I am proud of this team! No matter what happens in two weeks, I'll always be proud of this team!
I've been busy making videos again! I love making videos and I've gotten really good and efficient at it. I made one for Kaitlin Inglesby(because as you've probably figured this girl holds a very special big place in my heart and probably always will lol), the seniors, and my newest video that I posted just a few hours ago is a tribute to the whole team. I've had it ready to go since about Wednesday or Thursday but I wanted to wait until this weekend was over to upload it and share it. But here are those 3 videos!
Bama took the series against Florida today and claimed the out right SEC regular season title. OU has the chance to do that next weekend with 2 wins again Iowa State! That's about all I have for now! St. Edwards made to regionals but fell just short in their game today against Angelo State! They had a great season though and have nothing to be ashamed of! Go Huskies!! RTR Go Bama! Boomer Sooner! FTG!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Senior Day
Well here we are senior day! I was really hoping for a win today but it again wasn't in the cards. As I watched the game today and the post game senior stuff, I felt mixed emotions. It put a smile on my face to be honoring 4 beautiful talented young ladies for the hard work they put in for this program over the last 4 years! But I felt sad. I felt sad because they couldn't get the win today and I felt sad because I know these seniors must be be feeling pretty low about how Pac-12 season has gone.
It's been a rough weekend and just a rough Pac-12 season all the way around. People keep asking me what is wrong and honestly I don't know. Other than they aren't winning, I don't know. But I refuse to point fingers and put blame on one person. I've seen several people try to place the blame on Kaitlin Inglesby and that bothers me. I'm not saying she hasn't struggled but that girl puts enough pressure on herself, she doesn't need ours too! She can't win by herself and she can't lose by herself. I love this team and I will never ever give up on them! They are fighting hard and they want to win! I see alot of good things from this team. They have great chemistry and support each other! Always smiles, pats on the back, and a word of encouragement! There is so much talent there! They just seem to have lost their confidence! They go to Stanford next weekend and then have 2 weeks off to rest, heal injuries, regroup, and try to figure this thing out! I believe in them and I believe they can do it!
I love to watch Coach Tarr in the 3rd base coaches box! Always encouraging, always clapping, and always smiling! She is such a beautiful person inside and out! She loves this game so much and loves these girls so much! It's an honor to watch her coach and I enjoy every time I get too!
Congrats to the seniors on 4 wonderful years and thank you for a job well done! Congrats to all the seniors out there as they approach their senior days and finish out their careers!
It's been a rough weekend and just a rough Pac-12 season all the way around. People keep asking me what is wrong and honestly I don't know. Other than they aren't winning, I don't know. But I refuse to point fingers and put blame on one person. I've seen several people try to place the blame on Kaitlin Inglesby and that bothers me. I'm not saying she hasn't struggled but that girl puts enough pressure on herself, she doesn't need ours too! She can't win by herself and she can't lose by herself. I love this team and I will never ever give up on them! They are fighting hard and they want to win! I see alot of good things from this team. They have great chemistry and support each other! Always smiles, pats on the back, and a word of encouragement! There is so much talent there! They just seem to have lost their confidence! They go to Stanford next weekend and then have 2 weeks off to rest, heal injuries, regroup, and try to figure this thing out! I believe in them and I believe they can do it!
I love to watch Coach Tarr in the 3rd base coaches box! Always encouraging, always clapping, and always smiling! She is such a beautiful person inside and out! She loves this game so much and loves these girls so much! It's an honor to watch her coach and I enjoy every time I get too!
Congrats to the seniors on 4 wonderful years and thank you for a job well done! Congrats to all the seniors out there as they approach their senior days and finish out their careers!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Sorry it's been so long!
I keep meaning to write and just haven't had a chance. I think about it and then put it off and it never gets done. But here I am actually writing this time lol! Adversity has continued to be the theme of this Pac-12 season for the Huskies. Not gonna lie here it's been a rough one. Not at all what I expected after the incredible preseason they had.
After getting swept by Cal they came home to play Arizona. Honestly I felt pretty good about that series. They played well at Cal, just didn't have quite enough to get the wins and Arizona had been struggling. I really felt confident that they could out and atleast take 2. But life has an odd way of doing it's own thing and not always following what you think will happen or what should happen. They got beat the first 2 games and won last. That series started a grueling 8(was supposed to be 9 but I'll get back to that) in 8 days section of the schedule. They had to add that in because of the addition of Utah so all the teams could get all their games in. That is something Pac-12 schools are used to and neither am I lol. So I'm thinking well they got a win to end the weekend and now they can build on that. They went Oregon in the middle of the week for what turned out to be more about rain delays than actually playing softball. They got through the 5th inning of the 1st game before the flood gates opened. They were losing and I hoped coming back the next day to finish the game would give them the spark to come back and win it. They were supposed to start at like 11 the next moring and didn't end up starting until like 1 I think. They didn't come back and dropped game 1. They did however pull out a win in game 2 and even the series at 1-1. Because of all the rain delays that was all they could get in. 2 days later UCLA came to town. Again I'm thinking this is a team that has struggled surly they'll bounce back and take atleaast 2. The first game they got out to a 5-0 lead. Kaitlin was pitching a 1 hit ball game and looked great. I thought for sure they had this one and they were finally back on track and then we got to the 6th inning. I don't know what happened the wheels fell off and UCLA scored 7 in that inning alone to win the game. That loss just seem to take the wind out of their sails and they were never in the 2nd game. They didn't even score a run. Finally they came back and won the 3rd game and looked pretty good. I didn't even bother thinking they'd be able to build off that win because I'd already seen a trend with this team and it wasn't building off wins sadly. They played OSU yesterday. They jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Kaitlin was a pitching well and then the 6th inning happened. They gave up 3 runs without giving up a hit. They had 4 errors that inning, 2 of which were on Kaitlin. She only actually gave up 3 hits and 1 earned run. I was and still am devastated for her. She started again today and made it only 2 innings after giving up 6 runs including a 3 run HR. But the Huskies got a great relief work from both Kasey and Bryana! OSU didn't score another run after that and it was enough time for the Huskies to get the offense going. In the 2nd inning, Hooch hit a double and Shawna hit a 2 run HR to tie the score at 3. Then of course Kaitlin gave up the 3 run HR. In the 3rd, Niki hits a solo HR to make the score 6-4. It stays that way until the 6th when Hooch hit a 2 run HR to tie the game at 6! It would stay that way until the top of the 9th when Niki would again come through with another solo HR! Bottom of the 9th with 2 runners on and 1 out the hitter lines out to Victoria in left and the runner at 3rd tags up to try to steal. Victoria throws a bullet from left field to Shawna at home to get the double play and seal the win! I was beyond happy for them! I hope tomorrow they come out ready to play and can clinch the series!
It's been a rough Pac-12 season but these girls have continued to fight. I feel for Kaitlin and I know she is feeling a ton of pressure right now. I see it when I watch her pitch and I see it when I watch her hit. I hope she knows the things that have happened are not her fault! She has had her problems but this team would be much worse off without her!! She is such a force in that circle and in the batters box. I forget sometimes myself just how young she is! I love to watch her play when she is on. She looks so much taller than 6'1" out there! I'm glad she is only a sophomore and I can't wait to see the player she develops into!
I was just thinking earlier that with next weekend being the last home games of the regular season, Sunday will be senior day. Huskies have 4 amazing Seniors this year. They have one of the fastest players I have ever seen and one heck of a center fielder Kimi Pohlman! Watching Kimi on the base paths is always fun! She is fast and not afraid to steal! Another great outfielder who can only play a pretty mean 1st base and one of the best all around hitters I have ever seen, in Nikia Williams! You just never know what Nikia(also know as Nki but I like the name Nikia better lol) is going to do! She has a such a beautiful swing and can flat smash the ball! She has so much love and passion for the game! Then there is Taylor Smith! For Taylor her time with the Huskies has not always gone as planned. Injuries have been an issue for Taylor and she missed about half the season last year with a back injury. She ended up needing surgery. But something that I love about Taylor is her 100% devotion to this team. Seriously less than 2 weeks after having major back surgery she hops on the plane with the rest of the girls and flies all the way to Mizzou for the Super Regionals and was there to cheer them on! You won't find too many more people who are more devoted to a group of people than Taylor is! And last but not least Jenna Clifton! Jenna came to UW as a pitcher but that never really panned out. But that hasn't kept her from doing what she could to help the team. They use her in the outfield some but where you see her most is going to be coming in to PH and PR. She has been very clutch and come up with big hits when they were really needed! She can also fly around the bases and steal bases! I don't know any of these girls but from what I've seen Jenna seems to be very sweet but yet very devoted to this team and the sport of softball! All 4 of these women will be very missed! But their legacy lives on. In my heart this group of seniors and this senior day is special. This group of seniors are the last girls left from the National Championship team! To me it's kind of like after this season that will officially be a memory! These ladies were just freshman in 09 when the Huskies brought home that trophy but they were all a big part of that run. Now they are seniors and are doing their best to lead a very young team. They have been great leaders and so much fun to watch these last 4 years! I know they must be thinking the same thing I am.... I can't believe it's almost over! Where did the last 4 years go? Very soon their time in the purple and gold will over and but a memory but the lessons they've taught these young girls will live on. The memories and joy they brought to us over the last 4 years will live on in our hearts and will never forget the class of 2012! I can't believe Senior day is next weekend! It seriously seems like we were just saying goodbye to Jenn, Morgan, and Ashley like last month and now they've been gone almost a year! It still seems funny to look at the field and not see Jenn and Morgan scooping up everything that comes their way. But time Marches on and we have 3 new young ladies to watch grown and develop in that infield! But to the class of 2012 I say this, no matter how this season turns out you hold your heads up high and know you've done a wonderful job! Thank you! Thank you for the job you've done for this team, the long hours your put in to make yourself a better player so you could help the team be better, thank you for standing outside signing autographs for hours when I know you would much rather be inside taking a shower or getting something to eat or simply resting, thank you for still signing those autographs after a rough game when I know you'd much rather be anywhere else, and thank you for always setting a good example for all the little girls watching you! Thank you for the memories and the joy! Thank you for letting us hurt with you when nothing goes right and smile and laugh with you when everything goes right! I wish you all the best in whatever you do from here! There is no doubt in my mind you will all be very successful in whatever you do from here!
Now on to something else now that I find myself with eyes full of tears lol! I got to watch 2 games from the opening weekend of the Japanese league and let me tell you I was impressed! I now fully understand why these women from her go back season after season! That is how professional softball should be played. They had big loud crowds! They had a great field that they were playing at! Both games I watched were very good games! The first game was Lauren Lappin's team. They fell in extra innings but I enjoyed watching Lauren. Here she is the only American on this team. Nobody else speaks the same language she does but she was still a huge part of that team. She still found a way to communicate with her pitcher! I thought it was really awesome! I wis her team much luck and success this season! I then watched Megan Wills and Danielle Lawrie's team! Danielle pitched a great game and Megan called a great game! Those two have a wonderful natural chemistry together! It was alot of fun to watch! Their team made a late game comeback in 7th and won! I was very happy for them! From what I've heard both Monica Abbot and Natasha Whatley's team and Jordan Taylor and Megan Wiggin's team are off to great starts! Monica opened up league play by throwing a 1 hitter and Natasha had the walk off single to win the game! Not a bad way to start! One thing I noticed very quickly about these teams is most of the girls on these teams are left handed hitters. You might have 2 maybe 3 right handed hitters but most are left handed. They don't play alot of long ball. Their game is mostly short ball. Put the ball in play and try to beat it out. They are all super fast and one bobble and they are going to be safe! The pitchers were most movement pitcher again, not alot of power. The only power pitcher I saw was Danielle. The other 3 were movement pitchers with not much speed. But let me tell you they did a great job with the movement and I saw alot of strikeouts by all the pitchers. But a light bulb went off in my brain as I watch this as to why Monica has had so much success over there aside from the fact that she is just a dang good pitcher. She is left handed and she throws with a ton of speed and power! That is something those Japanese hitters haven't seen alot of and the end result is Monica being very dominate over there! I wish the best of luck to all the teams and all the Americans(or in Danielle's case Canadians lol) over there good luck!!
NPF season is just around the corner! I can't wait! I love college ball but I am ready for some NPF!!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies!! Boomer Sooner!! RTR! Go Bama! FTG!
After getting swept by Cal they came home to play Arizona. Honestly I felt pretty good about that series. They played well at Cal, just didn't have quite enough to get the wins and Arizona had been struggling. I really felt confident that they could out and atleast take 2. But life has an odd way of doing it's own thing and not always following what you think will happen or what should happen. They got beat the first 2 games and won last. That series started a grueling 8(was supposed to be 9 but I'll get back to that) in 8 days section of the schedule. They had to add that in because of the addition of Utah so all the teams could get all their games in. That is something Pac-12 schools are used to and neither am I lol. So I'm thinking well they got a win to end the weekend and now they can build on that. They went Oregon in the middle of the week for what turned out to be more about rain delays than actually playing softball. They got through the 5th inning of the 1st game before the flood gates opened. They were losing and I hoped coming back the next day to finish the game would give them the spark to come back and win it. They were supposed to start at like 11 the next moring and didn't end up starting until like 1 I think. They didn't come back and dropped game 1. They did however pull out a win in game 2 and even the series at 1-1. Because of all the rain delays that was all they could get in. 2 days later UCLA came to town. Again I'm thinking this is a team that has struggled surly they'll bounce back and take atleaast 2. The first game they got out to a 5-0 lead. Kaitlin was pitching a 1 hit ball game and looked great. I thought for sure they had this one and they were finally back on track and then we got to the 6th inning. I don't know what happened the wheels fell off and UCLA scored 7 in that inning alone to win the game. That loss just seem to take the wind out of their sails and they were never in the 2nd game. They didn't even score a run. Finally they came back and won the 3rd game and looked pretty good. I didn't even bother thinking they'd be able to build off that win because I'd already seen a trend with this team and it wasn't building off wins sadly. They played OSU yesterday. They jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Kaitlin was a pitching well and then the 6th inning happened. They gave up 3 runs without giving up a hit. They had 4 errors that inning, 2 of which were on Kaitlin. She only actually gave up 3 hits and 1 earned run. I was and still am devastated for her. She started again today and made it only 2 innings after giving up 6 runs including a 3 run HR. But the Huskies got a great relief work from both Kasey and Bryana! OSU didn't score another run after that and it was enough time for the Huskies to get the offense going. In the 2nd inning, Hooch hit a double and Shawna hit a 2 run HR to tie the score at 3. Then of course Kaitlin gave up the 3 run HR. In the 3rd, Niki hits a solo HR to make the score 6-4. It stays that way until the 6th when Hooch hit a 2 run HR to tie the game at 6! It would stay that way until the top of the 9th when Niki would again come through with another solo HR! Bottom of the 9th with 2 runners on and 1 out the hitter lines out to Victoria in left and the runner at 3rd tags up to try to steal. Victoria throws a bullet from left field to Shawna at home to get the double play and seal the win! I was beyond happy for them! I hope tomorrow they come out ready to play and can clinch the series!
It's been a rough Pac-12 season but these girls have continued to fight. I feel for Kaitlin and I know she is feeling a ton of pressure right now. I see it when I watch her pitch and I see it when I watch her hit. I hope she knows the things that have happened are not her fault! She has had her problems but this team would be much worse off without her!! She is such a force in that circle and in the batters box. I forget sometimes myself just how young she is! I love to watch her play when she is on. She looks so much taller than 6'1" out there! I'm glad she is only a sophomore and I can't wait to see the player she develops into!
I was just thinking earlier that with next weekend being the last home games of the regular season, Sunday will be senior day. Huskies have 4 amazing Seniors this year. They have one of the fastest players I have ever seen and one heck of a center fielder Kimi Pohlman! Watching Kimi on the base paths is always fun! She is fast and not afraid to steal! Another great outfielder who can only play a pretty mean 1st base and one of the best all around hitters I have ever seen, in Nikia Williams! You just never know what Nikia(also know as Nki but I like the name Nikia better lol) is going to do! She has a such a beautiful swing and can flat smash the ball! She has so much love and passion for the game! Then there is Taylor Smith! For Taylor her time with the Huskies has not always gone as planned. Injuries have been an issue for Taylor and she missed about half the season last year with a back injury. She ended up needing surgery. But something that I love about Taylor is her 100% devotion to this team. Seriously less than 2 weeks after having major back surgery she hops on the plane with the rest of the girls and flies all the way to Mizzou for the Super Regionals and was there to cheer them on! You won't find too many more people who are more devoted to a group of people than Taylor is! And last but not least Jenna Clifton! Jenna came to UW as a pitcher but that never really panned out. But that hasn't kept her from doing what she could to help the team. They use her in the outfield some but where you see her most is going to be coming in to PH and PR. She has been very clutch and come up with big hits when they were really needed! She can also fly around the bases and steal bases! I don't know any of these girls but from what I've seen Jenna seems to be very sweet but yet very devoted to this team and the sport of softball! All 4 of these women will be very missed! But their legacy lives on. In my heart this group of seniors and this senior day is special. This group of seniors are the last girls left from the National Championship team! To me it's kind of like after this season that will officially be a memory! These ladies were just freshman in 09 when the Huskies brought home that trophy but they were all a big part of that run. Now they are seniors and are doing their best to lead a very young team. They have been great leaders and so much fun to watch these last 4 years! I know they must be thinking the same thing I am.... I can't believe it's almost over! Where did the last 4 years go? Very soon their time in the purple and gold will over and but a memory but the lessons they've taught these young girls will live on. The memories and joy they brought to us over the last 4 years will live on in our hearts and will never forget the class of 2012! I can't believe Senior day is next weekend! It seriously seems like we were just saying goodbye to Jenn, Morgan, and Ashley like last month and now they've been gone almost a year! It still seems funny to look at the field and not see Jenn and Morgan scooping up everything that comes their way. But time Marches on and we have 3 new young ladies to watch grown and develop in that infield! But to the class of 2012 I say this, no matter how this season turns out you hold your heads up high and know you've done a wonderful job! Thank you! Thank you for the job you've done for this team, the long hours your put in to make yourself a better player so you could help the team be better, thank you for standing outside signing autographs for hours when I know you would much rather be inside taking a shower or getting something to eat or simply resting, thank you for still signing those autographs after a rough game when I know you'd much rather be anywhere else, and thank you for always setting a good example for all the little girls watching you! Thank you for the memories and the joy! Thank you for letting us hurt with you when nothing goes right and smile and laugh with you when everything goes right! I wish you all the best in whatever you do from here! There is no doubt in my mind you will all be very successful in whatever you do from here!
Now on to something else now that I find myself with eyes full of tears lol! I got to watch 2 games from the opening weekend of the Japanese league and let me tell you I was impressed! I now fully understand why these women from her go back season after season! That is how professional softball should be played. They had big loud crowds! They had a great field that they were playing at! Both games I watched were very good games! The first game was Lauren Lappin's team. They fell in extra innings but I enjoyed watching Lauren. Here she is the only American on this team. Nobody else speaks the same language she does but she was still a huge part of that team. She still found a way to communicate with her pitcher! I thought it was really awesome! I wis her team much luck and success this season! I then watched Megan Wills and Danielle Lawrie's team! Danielle pitched a great game and Megan called a great game! Those two have a wonderful natural chemistry together! It was alot of fun to watch! Their team made a late game comeback in 7th and won! I was very happy for them! From what I've heard both Monica Abbot and Natasha Whatley's team and Jordan Taylor and Megan Wiggin's team are off to great starts! Monica opened up league play by throwing a 1 hitter and Natasha had the walk off single to win the game! Not a bad way to start! One thing I noticed very quickly about these teams is most of the girls on these teams are left handed hitters. You might have 2 maybe 3 right handed hitters but most are left handed. They don't play alot of long ball. Their game is mostly short ball. Put the ball in play and try to beat it out. They are all super fast and one bobble and they are going to be safe! The pitchers were most movement pitcher again, not alot of power. The only power pitcher I saw was Danielle. The other 3 were movement pitchers with not much speed. But let me tell you they did a great job with the movement and I saw alot of strikeouts by all the pitchers. But a light bulb went off in my brain as I watch this as to why Monica has had so much success over there aside from the fact that she is just a dang good pitcher. She is left handed and she throws with a ton of speed and power! That is something those Japanese hitters haven't seen alot of and the end result is Monica being very dominate over there! I wish the best of luck to all the teams and all the Americans(or in Danielle's case Canadians lol) over there good luck!!
NPF season is just around the corner! I can't wait! I love college ball but I am ready for some NPF!!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies!! Boomer Sooner!! RTR! Go Bama! FTG!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Adversity
I should be sleeping as it is 3:30 in the morning but obviously I'm not lol. I've been over the three games from this weekend. I followed them the best I could(I'll save that for later in the blog) and I've looked over the stats. Overall I feel pretty good about this weekend. Of course you never want to come away with 3 loses but I felt they hung around with Cal better than anybody else did all season. There were alot of very good things I "saw" this weekend. There were some things that were frustrating as well.
I'll start off with the good. I want to first start off with the defense, impaticular that freshman infield! I know I've been a little harsh at times where they were concerned. But they have played 5 very clean games in a row! I don't know what changed or what clicked but they've been playing beautifully! I thought the pitching was good. The stats are a little misleading I think. Kaitlin struggled with walks on Friday night(I have opinions on that but since my information is all 2nd hand and I wasn't there I'll keep them to myself) but she didn't give up a hit until the 6th inning! She really pitched a nice game. I felt Kasey pitched a nice game as well in the first game on Sunday. She gave up a few more hits and runs than Kaitlin did but overall she held her own. She again continues to amaze me and she certainly doesn't pitch like a freshman! She has alot to learn but she has something that can't be taught and that is mental toughness! Kaitlin's 2nd outing wasn't quite as good as the first. But I wouldn't say it was bad either. Bryana Walker came in, in relief in both games on Sunday and she did a beautiful job both games! Also I was very excited to see Nikia Williams break out of her slump and smash a 2 run HR! From what I've been told it was a monster! Also Victoria Hayward continues to have a nice season getting atleast 1 hit in every game this weekend! She is not as well known as some of the other Huskies but she will probably go down as one of my favorite all time Huskies! She is amazing at what she does, she has a great attitude, and she is such a sweet, funny, bubbly person! But I really love this whole team! There is just something special about this team!
Now to the bad. At the top of the list has to be the offense. Victoria did well against the Cal pitchers, Kaitlin did very well, Hooch had her times as did Nikia and Kimi but there wasn't much from the bottom half of the lineup. Grant it most of them are freshman but these freshman have hit well all season and seems all of a sudden they are kind of in a funk. Kylee Lahners was red hot for the vast majority of the preseason. But for about the last 3 weekends her bat has been ice cold. I'm sure she will find her stuff again but they could really use her bat as well as some of the other girls in the bottom part of the lineups bats!
I have to say I was very disappointed in what Cal could offer us to be able to follow the games this weekend. They didn't even have a good enough internet access to tweet consistently themselves or run gametracker. I had to follow the mother of their players on Twitter to find out what was going on. Don't get me wrong I'm glad she did it and we did have some way to know what was going on. But she is still a Cal parent and her Cal bias definitely came through a few times. For an elite college softball team it shouldn't be that way! It is extremely sad that no matter what this team does this season they won't be considered for hosting a regional or super regional because their facilities are so poor! This softball team deserves better and the fact that their coach and parents put up with that without saying a word is just sad. Grant it the Huskies couldn't Regionals or Super Regionals either until 2010 but it was because of lack of lights. Cal's problems are so much bigger than that! I think it's time somebody stands up for those girls and see's to it that changes are made!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR! Go Bama! FTG!
I'll start off with the good. I want to first start off with the defense, impaticular that freshman infield! I know I've been a little harsh at times where they were concerned. But they have played 5 very clean games in a row! I don't know what changed or what clicked but they've been playing beautifully! I thought the pitching was good. The stats are a little misleading I think. Kaitlin struggled with walks on Friday night(I have opinions on that but since my information is all 2nd hand and I wasn't there I'll keep them to myself) but she didn't give up a hit until the 6th inning! She really pitched a nice game. I felt Kasey pitched a nice game as well in the first game on Sunday. She gave up a few more hits and runs than Kaitlin did but overall she held her own. She again continues to amaze me and she certainly doesn't pitch like a freshman! She has alot to learn but she has something that can't be taught and that is mental toughness! Kaitlin's 2nd outing wasn't quite as good as the first. But I wouldn't say it was bad either. Bryana Walker came in, in relief in both games on Sunday and she did a beautiful job both games! Also I was very excited to see Nikia Williams break out of her slump and smash a 2 run HR! From what I've been told it was a monster! Also Victoria Hayward continues to have a nice season getting atleast 1 hit in every game this weekend! She is not as well known as some of the other Huskies but she will probably go down as one of my favorite all time Huskies! She is amazing at what she does, she has a great attitude, and she is such a sweet, funny, bubbly person! But I really love this whole team! There is just something special about this team!
Now to the bad. At the top of the list has to be the offense. Victoria did well against the Cal pitchers, Kaitlin did very well, Hooch had her times as did Nikia and Kimi but there wasn't much from the bottom half of the lineup. Grant it most of them are freshman but these freshman have hit well all season and seems all of a sudden they are kind of in a funk. Kylee Lahners was red hot for the vast majority of the preseason. But for about the last 3 weekends her bat has been ice cold. I'm sure she will find her stuff again but they could really use her bat as well as some of the other girls in the bottom part of the lineups bats!
I have to say I was very disappointed in what Cal could offer us to be able to follow the games this weekend. They didn't even have a good enough internet access to tweet consistently themselves or run gametracker. I had to follow the mother of their players on Twitter to find out what was going on. Don't get me wrong I'm glad she did it and we did have some way to know what was going on. But she is still a Cal parent and her Cal bias definitely came through a few times. For an elite college softball team it shouldn't be that way! It is extremely sad that no matter what this team does this season they won't be considered for hosting a regional or super regional because their facilities are so poor! This softball team deserves better and the fact that their coach and parents put up with that without saying a word is just sad. Grant it the Huskies couldn't Regionals or Super Regionals either until 2010 but it was because of lack of lights. Cal's problems are so much bigger than that! I think it's time somebody stands up for those girls and see's to it that changes are made!
Well that is all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner! RTR! Go Bama! FTG!
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