First of all, I just wanted to say that writing this blog for the last time is really hard to do. I was not expecting to write the “farewell” blog for a few weeks, but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. Ending something you have been doing since you were eight is emotional to say the least, but looking back on all the amazing times and all the friends and family I have met along the way, this has been beyond a doubt the experience of a lifetime!

Last week we came out to practice on all cylinders and were so excited about playing in our regional. We knew it was going to be a great, tough regional and that we would have to play solid to win. After two good days of practice, we were already back on a charter bus, this time it was headed for Baton Rouge, instead of Oklahoma. We got into Baton Rouge Wednesday night, ate dinner and then went to sleep because we had practice the next morning 

I’ve heard many quotes and sayings over the years, but one that is always in the back of my head is one that my boyfriend told me about putting your “sweat in the bucket.” My boyfriend, Keith Stein, played three years under Coach Mark Johnson, one year at A&M and two years at Sam Houston. During that time, Coach Johnson told the boys that at the end of the practice, everyone should be able to wring out their sweat into a bucket and everyone should have the same amount of sweat. If only a couple of guys are working and sweating hard, then the bucket won’t get filled, but if the entire team is playing hard, then the bucket will be filled.  This quote was definitely true in Baton Rouge thanks to the heat and humidity. After our practice on LSU’s field, our team definitely put in the hard work and effort, and we could have definitely filled that bucket up!!

We got back to the hotel, took showers and then all went out to eat at Mike Anderson’s Seafood restaurant. The food was great, but when it came time for desserts, I was a little on the bitter side. During trips, and during the entire season for that matter, we are all expected to eat to fuel our bodies the right way. When we go out to eat, we can only order water to drink (we have Crystal Light packets if we get sick of water) and there are absolutely no desserts. Well, this trip was different. During intersquad scrimmages the week before, in the bottom of the seventh inning Coach yelled out, “Oh, by the way, the winner of this game gets dessert on one of our away trips.” Well if you know our team, Coach might as well have said she would buy us all a new car, because as soon as she said that it was on! The home team, not my team, was behind in the bottom of the seventh when Coach said this, and ended up winning the game thanks to a Mel Dumezich walk off home run! I was really mad at the time, but I did, in fact, laugh when Mel rounded first with two hands in the air, holding up the “#1” sign and chanting “Dessert, dessert, dessert.”  Anyways, needless to say, that even though our team has won four out of six, the other team won when it really mattered and got to eat dessert at Mike Anderson’s.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and waited until the next day when we could start playing. We definitely did not play our best on Friday, but came out with two huge wins on Saturday to ensure us a spot playing on championship Sunday. We fought hard, but ULL had the timely hits when we didn’t.  After the game, Coach talked to us and then the seniors left our cleats on home plate. This is another Aggie tradition that I love. After their last game, the seniors leave their cleats at home plate wherever you are playing. Our goal this year was to leave our cleats in Oklahoma City, but we ended up leaving them in Baton Rouge.

Speaking of my fellow seniors, I couldn’t finish the blog without writing about the two people who I know the most. These two girls have been through so much with me. All the good times, like going to the World Series and all our accomplishments on the field, to moving into our house where they taught me how to cook, as well as all the bad times like having to walk to the dorms after getting back at 2 a.m. and then going to 8 a.m. classes, to Alex slipping and busting it when the roads were frozen over, will forever be in my heart. Here are a few words about the rest of the softball team, last but definitely not least, the seniors!

First there is Macie Morrow (aka Mace in your Face, Macer or Macer the Eraser). Before I start out anything, if you don’t personally know Alex and Macie, you might not know that for the last four years, these two have pretty much been inseparable. They are in the same major, have the same class schedule and since we live together, there is hardly time for them to be apart. Cooking, shows and shorts are just a couple of words that let you see a little more about Mace. Macie (not to be confused with Marcie…on every order of food this year they put Marcie instead of Macie) loves to cook and try new things. I think my recent favorite dish Macie made me try was Couscous and now I love it! Macie also loves her television shows. Mondays are filled with One Tree Hill, The Hills and the Bachelorette and Tuesdays are Biggest Loser.  Another thing Macie is also known for is her short shorts. In fact, Ray, our strength and conditioning coach, was so tired of Macie wearing short shorts to workout, she made her wear Capri sweat pants that have never been washed. Macie was not too happy about it then, but now we can laugh at it. Macie always knows how to have a good time and I’m so lucky to have spent the last for years with her!

Alex Reynolds (aka Al or Alejandra) is definitely one of those players you love to have on your team, and if she wasn’t on my team, I definitely would be scared of her. She is the most competitive person on the field and just one of those people you want with you when the going gets tough. One thing about Alex is she can never be last. Whether it is in line for food, in line for the restroom, or in line for a drill, Alex is always one of the first ones. She is also the worlds earliest “Shotgun” caller! For four years, I might have sat in the front seat twice because Alex calls shotgun before we have even payed the bill at the restaurant! Seriously, who does that!? Anyways, back on track, Alex loves to make people laugh with all her funny faces and voices. Two things that I always think about when I want to laugh out loud are when Alex tripped doing tall shuffles before practice and when she yelled “GOING” when no one was going. Last year, we were both in the dugout during the Texas game and it is always the dugout’s job to watch the runner and let the catcher know if she is stealing. Well Alex thought the girl was going and yelled it at the top of her lungs. Turns out she was wrong and once she realized it she ducked down so nobody could see who did it. Too bad for her our video guy got the whole thing on tape!

I’m going to miss these girls so much not only on the field playing with them, day in and day out, but also living with them and sharing so many good times together! 

So now I guess it’s time to say goodbye. I want to say thank you for reading the blog every week and keeping up with Aggie softball. It has truly been an honor to have the opportunity to write the blog and play for this amazing university. As a senior I really and truly could not have asked for a better team to play with, a better coaching staff to play under and especially, I couldn’t have asked for better fans to play for. Just like the saying goes, “From the outside looking in you can’t understand it and from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”

Thanks and Gig’em!

Brace yourself Ags, a lot has been going on with Aggie Softball so just sit back, relax and enjoy the blog, or short novel to be exact!

First and foremost, I wanted to give huge congratulations to everyone who earned Big 12 awards this weekend. Rhi and Meagan made All-Big 12 first team and Mel, Lauren and Alex made second team. We usually have opening ceremonies before the Big 12 tournament begins to make sure everyone can be recognized in front of all the teams and parents, but the rain ruined that plan. Although the opening ceremonies were cancelled, it definitely did not stop us from having fun!

The night that the ceremony was supposed to take place, Coach called a team meeting in a conference room at the hotel. With most of the parents and Sugar Daddies on hand, cake and two cap and gowns, everyone soon realized that this “team meeting” was a graduation ceremony for Alex and Macie. These two were supposed to walk the stage this past weekend, but because of the Big 12 Championship, they weren’t able to. Tracy and Brian Rutherford took this matter into their own hands and planned our own softball graduation. As soon as Macie and Al got into their cap and gowns, Brian said some opening words, Coach Evans followed with a commencement speech, and then Tracy handed out their diplomas. Now these diplomas weren’t like any normal diploma. It came in its usual hard cylinder container, but this diploma recognized a Degree of Bachelor of Softball and has all the major accolades our class has been a part of. Since I’m graduating in December, I didn’t get the entire cap and gown, because that’s coming later, but the Rutherford’s were nice enough to let me receive this special diploma.  I know Alex and Macie enjoyed being able to receive their diplomas in front of all the people that love them. Thanks to the Rutherford’s, the Sugar Daddies, the friends and families, and also the coaching staff for doing that.

The next day, we were fired up and ready to play. We had our fingers crossed that the rain would stay away for the remainder of the weekend. Our prayers were answered and we were able to play against Nebraska for our first game on Saturday. With a total team win, we were set to play OU in the semifinal game of the tournament. Both teams had amazing fans and the atmosphere was incredible, but we weren’t able to pull out a win against OU that day. Everyone on the team hates losing, but I guess you could say that we were excited about what is to come. We knew that we played a good game against Oklahoma and we were happy with how our team feels going into regionals. After the game, we went back to the hotel, Stephen had Spaghetti Warehouse for us in the lobby and then we went to bed. The next morning, we all woke up, ate an early breakfast and were on the road to head back to College Station by 8 a.m..

While we were playing, Lindsey Sisk was at home doing a lot of rehab. You might remember hearing about Lindsey’s first and second injuries (slicing a tendon in her hand and then re-detaching it for the second injury). Well they always say bad things come in three’s. During practice about two weeks ago, Lindsey was running bases with the outfielders in order to help the infield with their quick throws. While running the bases Lindsey turned to go back to the bag and ended up tearing her ACL. She had to have surgery last week and we missed her so much during the Big 12 Tournament. Please pray for a speedy and safe recovery for Lindsey!

After we got home on Sunday all I could do was think about regionals. The team and some of the Sugar Daddies got together Sunday night to find out where we would be playing the first round on our trip back to the Women’s College World Series! I was getting so excited after every team that was called because I knew it was that much closer to telling us where we ended up. My hopes were that we would host a regional, but it turns out we are headed to Baton Rouge! I’m so excited about playing in this regional. It is going to be a double elimination tournament between us, ULL, McNeese State and LSU. This is a very challenging regional, which makes it ten times more fun!! If you are looking for something to do this Friday, Saturday and Sunday or maybe you just want to take a little vacation, there is no better place to do it than Baton Rouge! We need all the Aggie support we can get this weekend and let me tell you, these are going to be some great games of college softball. We had Monday off, but Tuesday’s practice couldn’t come soon enough. Everything we do from this point on is all about our team and what we have worked for all year!

One huge reason why we are able to be playing in the NCAA tournament is because of our amazing junior class! You knew it was coming so here it is…

First there is Rhi (aka Rafiki, Rhi-Money, Rhianisha, or just about anything that you could incorporate “RHI” into). In my opinion, we should forget all the Rhi nicknames and just call her “Clutch.” Since she walked onto this campus, Rhi has been the ultimate impact player. One thing that you might not know about Rhi is that she loves SpongeBob. She and Victoria can quote any episode of SpongeBob, and I mean ANY episode! Rhi also feels no pain. I forgot exactly what game it was, but I remember it was in San Diego and Rhi was pitching. A ball was hit literally right back at her face, ricocheted off her and flew into center field. After the play, everyone was waiting to see if Rhi was going to be okay, but she just turned to the catcher and was ready for the next pitch. Rhi is such a solid player and leads this team so well by her actions.

Next there is Kara (aka KayKay). I absolutely love this girl! Another one of my remedies for a stressful day is to walk two steps over to Kara’s locker and look at the pictures on the inside of her locker. There is one picture that always makes me laugh! It is a picture of Kara and her family, but the best part about that picture is Kara’s little niece, Lily. Lily is the cutest little girl ever and is going to look just like Kara when she gets older. In the picture, Lily is sitting on Kara’s lap and is making the funniest face. Kara is such a hard worker and makes this team better every single day. We have shared many memories of 6 a.m. workouts with Ray (our strength and conditioning coach) during Club del Ray and I will never forget those days, but I definitely won’t miss them! What I am going to miss is the time you thought you were Sharonda, and when you had to speak in front of the team your freshman year!

Kelsey Spittler (aka Spitty or Spitt) and I have been playing ball since we were little kids. She and I played on the Texas Smash when we were growing up and I love the fact that we had the opportunity to play together in college. One thing that hasn’t changed since we were little is her country accent and grammar. I never knew, until Spitty told me, was that you could “warsh” your clothes. Coach always tells us that your teammates are the people you want down in the trenches with you during battle. Spitt is definitely a person I would want to have with me in the trenches, not because she has earned consecutive strength and conditioning All-American awards, but because she is loyal and always there for you. I have to give her parents a shout out because after every game no matter the outcome, they are always there. We have so many laughs and memories in the outfield that I am really going to miss.

The next person I couldn’t live without in the outfield is Andrea Tovar (aka TO-VAR, A.T .or Ang). “Friend,” as Kelsey Spittler would call her, has a locker right next to mine so every time I come into the locker room she puts a smile on my face. Whether we are exchanging YouTube quotes or laughing at something funny that happened that day, A.T. always puts me in a better mood. There is one particular thing that happened this season that I think about if I ever want a quick laugh. After every home game, we all go to change in the locker room until Coach gets there, and then we have to go to the team room for a postgame talk. Well, after one game I was rushing to get to the team room and needed to put my dirty clothes in the pile. I whipped around the corner and chunked my dirty sliders as hard as I could, thinking they would somehow end up in the pile. Needless to say, they didn’t make it into the pile because Andrea’s face was in the way! I was very apologetic, but I couldn’t help laughing so hard! Andrea is such a hard worker and sets an example for the rest of the team.

Although she has only been here for one year, I feel like I have known Lindsey (aka Princess or Linds) forever! With her injuries, this year has been really tough on her, but she has shown this team what she is made out of. I know she is just itching at the opportunity to get back on the field and start playing again and when she does, everyone better watch out! Even though we call her Princess, this girl is the most competitive girl on the team. I’m so excited to see how she helps the team next year! Lindsey loves to sing every song she knows and no one can compete with her dance moves! I’m so happy to have been teammates with Lindsey for a year and I wish we could have actually played with her this season. Even though they are in California, her parents have been so supportive of the team and I’m so lucky to have met them.

Last, but definitely not least is Missy Siegel (aka Miss). Missy is just one of those people that make you feel right at home. Every word that comes out of her mouth I can’t help but laugh! Missy is always coming up with crazy things to do, we think it’s because she was an only child so she had to improvise, but whatever is was it made Missy so much fun to be around! Both Lindsey and Missy have made a huge impact on this team. Missy also loooves to dance and say funny sayings that I, for one, can never get out of my head! For instance, still to this day I have to get Kelsea Orsak to punch me every time I say “DAAANG!” and now “Child please” and “Duh!” have started to surface. I have also loved spending time with Missy’s family during the recent trips! This team would not be near as fun as it is without Missy!

Blooper #12: The Roof is on Fire!

You know you’re an Aggie when….you are smokin’ briskets on a Friday night, in the middle of downtown Oklahoma City, on the rooftop of the Sheraton hotel. After the graduation ceremony, the Sugar Daddies and some parents went to the rooftop of a nearby hotel to start cookin’ the meat for the tailgate the next day at the ballpark. We played football, listened to country music and had a blast. It was all fun and games until we heard fire trucks and sirens. My heart stopped beating when they stopped right beside the hotel because I could just see it now: “Texas Aggie Softball team Creates Havoc in OKC.” Fortunately, the fire trucks were not for us and only a couple of security guards had to come and make sure the smoke was coming from a grill rather than the hotel itself. The team, unfortunately, couldn’t have the end result of the brisket, but from what others told me, it was delicious! A huge thanks goes out to Rosenthal meats!

P.S.-I told you this was a short novel, but thanks for reading and keeping up with Aggie Softball. Now let’s go BTHO the Baton Rouge Regional!

I’m finally done! Well with this semester that is. I took my last final today and what a good feeling it is. Although school is done, in my mind, softball is just starting up!

Last weekend was a short and sweet! Due to everyone’s finals, we left College Station around 3 p.m. and finally got into Stillwater late that night. As the bus pulled into the hotel, Coach informed us that since there was a chance of rain on Sunday, we would be playing a doubleheader on Saturday and to get some good rest for the games! She didn’t even have to tell me twice to get good sleep, because as soon as we got into our rooms, Al and I passed out! We woke up the next morning so fired up about the two games, although all we were really thinking about was winning that first game. We went down to eat breakfast, showered, got ready, watched some of the Washington vs. Stanford game and then we were off.

 Determination. I felt like as soon as I stepped on the bus to go to the fields, I felt that we were determined and that we wanted those two wins more than anything else in the world. Needless to say, we ended up sweeping Oklahoma State on their home field, on senior day and I loved it! Although we were in Stillwater, the Ags still had a lot of fans in the stands. My Aunt Betty, Aunt Lorrie, and Grandma came from Wichita Falls to come watch us play. It was so good to see them and wish them a Happy Mother’s Day, but soon after the hugs, the team was headed straight back to College Station.

Our bus trips include a lot of jokes, people on iPods and definitely a lot of movies. It is really hard to get movies that the entire bus agrees on, but we watched every genre on the bus ride there and back. Our selection included Avatar, It’s Complicated, Face-Off, Awake, Lion King and the Burning Desire. I have to elaborate on the last one, because it really hit home. If you haven’t heard of this movie, it is a documentary about the 1999 Texas A&M vs. Texas football game. This year was unlike any other because it was the year that will always be remembered in Aggie history as the year that the bonfire fell. During the other movies, you can hear people talking amongst themselves, but not this one. At one point, when they talked about the fallen and how people left their Aggie rings at the stack, I had tears rolling down my eyes and I looked back and at least two other people were in my same boat. The movie was sad, but I feel like it was good for our team to watch together. Sometimes you take for granted everything that we have and that movie made me realize how lucky we are to play for such a cohesive and caring University who treats everyone like family.

When we got home, it was time to get some good rest in order to start studying for those finals on Sunday. Sunday was also a very special day for our mother’s! I just wanted to give a quick shout out to every one of y’all, especially my amazing mother! Thank you so much for everything you have done for me!

This week, Coach gave us Sunday and Monday off in order to focus on school. I’ve been asked before what my favorite day of the year is. Although I love my birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving, I would have to say that another one of my favorite days of the year is when I’m done with finals for the spring. Just think about it, no more school, its summer time and post season is starting up. This is what our team has worked for since August and it is finally here! This week we have our sights set on winning the Big 12 Tournament. This is the last year they are having a Big 12 Tournament, so why not make the best of it? We will be leaving at 12:30 on Thursday and drive to Oklahoma City. OKC here we come!

Drum roll please, as I promised, I’m going to tell y’all a little more about this year’s sophomore class! Sophomore year is a weird year because you are not the freshmen, yet you still aren’t an upper classman. On most teams I’ve played on, the sophomores kind of hang low….not this class! The sophomores, consisting of Eden Morris, Becca Arbino and Kelsea Orsak, definitely stand out.

First there is Eden Morris. Eden has a lot of roles on our team that many people might not know about. She is our “yell leader”, preacher, mother, nutritionist, speed jump roper and a great friend. The first time I met Eden, she was on her recruiting visit. It can be intimidating for a small town girl from Georgia to step onto a huge college campus, but Eden had no fear. I enjoyed meeting her mom and dad and I knew I was going to like Eden when she asked if she could meet Reveille on her visit. Did I also mention she is a twin? Just kidding but we always joke with her because she and her brother look so much alike! I’m going to miss you Eden!

Another one of the sophomores is Becca Arbino (aka Bec). She is one of the crazy ones on the team. If you ever need to know any random fact or anything about anything, Becca is your girl. For example, if you need to know how to do first aid, Becca is the one to call. If you need to know how to cook a recipe, Becca is the one. If you aren’t sure about a question on your biology final, you guessed it, go to Becca. She knows everything! She is also a great singer. Last year, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the first annual athlete talent show. Every team had to have an act and Becca saved us from embarrassing ourselves by trying to do the Fosse video dance. Becca got up on stage and sang while playing the guitar. It was so good! I was shocked and I think the entire team was too! Becca is also known for, let’s just say, being a little clumsy.

The last, but definitely not least, is Kelsea Orsak (aka Puppy, KO, Kelso). She acquired the nickname puppy because, well, she is like a little puppy. Always hyper and just happy to alive, not to mention her feet and hands look like puppy paws. Kelsea is just one of those people that can walk into a room of strangers and come out with ten new friends. I feel so lucky to play in the outfield with her because no matter what is going on in my life; Kelsea will somehow find a way to make my day better. Her family is also so supportive of this team. I’m so fortunate to have met and gotten to know her parents, all her grandparents and her two awesome sisters! I feel like y’all have gotten a chance to get to know KO from all of the blogs this year since she has been the star of the bloopers, but KO is truly a great person with an amazing heart.

Blooper # 11: Question

Sorry again there is not a legit blooper, but I was thinking the other day and the team has talked about this many times, so I’m going to inform you about our dilemma. After practice, Becca, Macie, Savana Lloyd (played last year) and I cooked dinner and then watched the Biggest Loser.  Our team absolutely loves this show. It is very inspirational, yet whenever we watch it, we are always sitting on the coach eating our dinner and ice cream. It is funny because Kara mentioned the same problem earlier on in the year. Anyone see anything wrong with this picture? Just a though…

For the record, let me just say that Kelsea’s pregame speeches took a tremendous turn for the better and were fantastic! After reading the blooper, she knew she had to step up her game in the “speech-giving” department. She rose to the occasion and so did the entire team this week against Baylor and Texas Tech.

On Wednesday, we came out with a chip on our shoulders ready to play the Baylor Bears. The last time we played Baylor, it was on their home field and we lost in extra innings. It was a great game from both teams, but we were definitely hungry for that win. Wednesday could possibly have been our last home game as seniors and it was definitely an unforgettable one. We beat the Bears 11-1 with the 12th Man behind us the entire way.

“In the game of softball, you must have a short memory.” Coach Evans has used this quote many times during my career and how very true it is! Whether you have a good at bat or a bad at bat, you must forget about it because the only thing that matters is the next one. The team took this to heart Thursday during practice. We knew we had just beat Baylor and we were very excited, but we had a short memory and knew that the only thing that mattered was Texas Tech, our next opponent. After a short and sweet practice, Friday was already here and we were boarding the plane for Lubbock. We swept Texas Tech this weekend with two quality, team wins and now have an entire week to gear up for Oklahoma State. We will leave Friday afternoon to drive to Stillwater and the only thing on our minds the entire six-hour drive will be the game on Saturday. In addition to the two huge games we have this weekend, we are also studying and preparing for finals. So if you could be so kind as to take a second out of your busy day, I would appreciate it if you said a little prayer for my teammates and I to do amazing on our finals! Thanks and Gig’ em.

In addition to the blooper, I’m going to highlight a class every week from here on out and let you know a little bit more about each person within that class. Today I have decided to go with the freshman class (it’s only natural to start from youngest to oldest). So here it goes…

I absolutely love every person in this freshman class. Not to say that I don’t love everyone on the team, but each freshman brings a different personality to this team. First there is Victoria Lehrmann (aka V). She is just flat out hilarious! When I first met her at the beginning of the year, she seemed so quiet and reserved, but once I got to know her, she is not so quiet after all! She is extremely clever and knows just the right witty response to everyone’s remarks. For example, one day Alex was jokingly making fun of V’s hair during workout and Victoria whipped around and shouted, ” You know Grandma (this is the nickname she gave Alex) I’ve decided you’re just my cross to bear!” I couldn’t stop laughing at this comment and quite frankly, I can’t stop laughing at everything that comes out of her mouth.

Another freshman that I couldn’t live without is Sydney Shannon (aka Syd or Syd the Kid). Literally, I can’t live without her. I say this because although she was supposed to live in the dorm, she was my next door neighbor for most of this semester. At the beginning of the semester, she thought it would be easier to live with KO, which made us neighbors. When she decided that she was going to go back to living in the dorms, I was really upset and sad about her leaving! If Syd isn’t playing softball or at the dorms, she is most likely eating sushi. I’ve never seen anyone who loves sushi more than that kid. She is also my YouTube partner in crime. Syd and Victoria both play right field with me, so we share many, and I mean many, great laughs.

The next freshman that cracks me up every day is Lauren Schwirtlich (aka Cuz or Shortlicker…the second one is just a joke because one of our announcers accidently called her that one day and it just kind of stuck). At the beginning of the year, Lauren was known for being a little spastic, but now she has settled in and is doing a great job for the team. I’m not saying she doesn’t still have her spurts of jitters and clumsiness, but that is what makes her Lauren. Her locker is right next to mine, so personally, I don’t know what I would do without her. She is always keeping me in check, making sure I shine my cleats and wear the right practice shirt.

We now turn the spotlight to BIG D (aka Mel Dumezich). Mel is definitely the ping pong champ of the team; I think it might be because of her huge hands she uses to swallow the paddle. If you ever want to get to know someone better, just play catch phrase! This is the trick we used for Mel. At the beginning of the year, Mel was really shy around the team. We played a game of catch phrase with some recruits and Mel’s shyness was no more. I remember it like it was yesterday. Her word was “Tough Cookie” and she was shouting, and I mean shouting, out different clues to get everyone to guess. They were good clues, but no one could say anything because we were too busy laughing at her faces and accent. Mel is just one of those people that has such a good heart and who has so much pure talent, which she magnifies by working hard at what she does.

The last freshman, who definitely doesn’t play like a freshman, is Meagan May. Meagan is also one of those people who you love to be around. She is extremely smart and I’m telling you, she is an amazing drawer. I was looking through her pictures one day on Facebook and I saw a painting and asked her what it was. She showed me the real picture and the one that she painted and I was amazed. Meagan is going to do great things here at A&M and next time you see her ask her about midnight yell!

Blooper #10: Syd the Kid and the Heimlich maneuver
I was told this story by another source and I thought it had to be a blooper. After playing Missouri on ESPN, some of the girls went over to Andrea’s to watch the recording of the game. In the middle of the game, the announcers were talking about the Big 12 rankings and it had Texas as number one and their record, at the time, of 11-1. This is when Sydney looked up with a confused response of “Who did Texas lose to?” For those of you who were there, which Syd obviously wasn’t, we, Texas A&M, beat Texas on our home field. ‘Atta girl, Syd.

Y’all are in for a treat today, because there is another Orsak blooper. In order to relax and have fun, the outfielders do some football plays before we run out to our positions. Sometimes KO might just “hike” our gloves to us, or sometimes we set up routes to take a pass. This particular time, KO shouted to Kelsey Spittler, “Do the Heimlich maneuver and then cross!” Spitt was really confused and then realized that she meant to say “Do the Heisman and then cross!” That one definitely kept the outties loose and having fun!

Senior day was truly a day that I will never forget. The game on Saturday was definitely a disappointment, but Sunday our team came out and showed what we were made of. We pulled together as one unit, took care of each other, and beat Missouri in front of an amazing 12th Man. More than ever I really felt like this was my family. I know that we still have a lot of season left to play, but Senior Day makes you realize how much you have gained from this program. Playing at Texas A&M is unlike any other place because, besides from my own family, I have added the team and definitely the entire 12th Man into what I think of as my family. I’d like to take a second to talk about some pretty important people in my life.

First and foremost, I wanted to give a shout out to my mom, Alissa, and my dad, Glenn. They have been there through everything and I really don’t know where I would be without them. They have taught me so much and have always been there for me. My dad has literally been to every game this season and supports this team so much. I couldn’t put into words how much my parents mean to me and I want to thank them for everything. I also wanted to give a shout out to my sisters, Paige and Lexie, who aren’t always at the games, but are always rootin’ for the Ags. I’d also like to say thanks to all my other relatives who have come near and far to cheer on the Aggies. I love ya’ll!

Another family that I would like to thank is my teammates and their families, as well as the coaching staff. Going off to college is a scary thing. Although I’m about five miles from my house, the stress of school and competition make every day as a college student a crazy one. The 16 girls that I hang out with everyday during workouts, practice and games are definitely my safety net from all my stressors. They do what friends are supposed to do – make you laugh, tell you not to worry, tell you if your hair looks bad, and just be there for each other. Along with the girls, I’m so fortunate to have met and gotten to know all of their families. All the fam from Whiting, Ind. (Big D’s family), California (Becca and Lindsey’s family), Georgia (Eden’s family) and the rest of them from Texas, I just want to say thanks for everything. A huge hug goes out to Mrs. Suz and Mr. Doug Reynolds (Al’s parents) and Cindy and Tim (Timmy) Morrow (Macie’s parents). My fellow classmates and I have been through many ups and downs that have made us all better people. Thanks for all the memories! Also, this coaching staff has taught me so much about the game and about life that I will keep with me forever.

I know you know what is coming next! Another part of the family I have made here at Texas A&M is definitely all the amazing and wonderful fans!! All the Sugar Daddies, the regular fans and those that have never been to a game, but keep up with Aggie softball, I truly thank you for everything that you do. A special shout out goes to Cole Wilcoxson. You can usually find Cole right behind home plate yelling “SHIRT! SHIRT! SHIRT!” or banging his new Aggie ring against the metal to distract other teams. He has been my Sugar Daddy since my freshman year and has been to A LOT of softball games. He also makes the most legit banana pudding I’ve ever tried! Growing up in College Station, I was a part of the 12th Man as a kid, but I never really understood the role the 12th Man plays for every athlete. Now that I have had the privilege to play for such an amazing program, I now realize that every single fan means the world to every athlete playing on the field. The fans here at A&M bring another level that no other place in the nation can compete with. Thanks for all you do!

It is always great to win the game on Senior Day and then be able to celebrate. The team and our families went to the Zone and had dinner. After that, we do our senior pass down gifts. This should be called the senior “roasting” session, because we basically tell everyone all about the embarrassing moments this season. After the seniors talk about all the juniors, sophomores and fish, it is their turn to get back at us. The dinner and pass downs are some of my favorite times of the year.

This weekend was filled with fun and lots of family. We had Monday off (well if studying frantically for a final is considered “off”) and now all that is on our minds is Baylor. We play them this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and expect a great crowd. Please come out for the game on Wednesday and support us as we BTHO Baylor.

I also wanted to give huge congratulations to Meagan May for setting the single season home run record. Meagan is not only an amazing athlete who knows the game, she is also a great person and teammate.  She always puts the team first and I’m so excited for her and what she is going to accomplish during her four years at A&M. Most people don’t know this, but she is also an amazing drawer! Congrats Meagan!

Blooper #9

Before every game right after the outfield has finished bat hacky, Kelsea gives the “outties” a speech. Kelsea stands before us with her bat as a pointer and the other outfielders all take a knee. This talk gets the outfield in the right mindset for the game and how we are going to do our job as a whole. It started out as just a joke, but you know softball players and their superstitions, so we had to keep doing it. During the Texas game, let me tell you, her speech was great! But today’s blooper is for the one on Sunday. I think she just was shy in front of the ESPN cameras but her “intense” speech started off with, “Today is the day….that is not yesterday!” and it went downhill from there. Kels, you better be practicing for Baylor because we expect big things!

I’d have to say it was a good week Ags! We won our game on Wednesday against Sam Houston and then swept Iowa State on the road this past weekend. They weren’t the prettiest wins, but needless to say this team has a lot of fight and will do anything in our power to get that “W”. 

After beating Sam Houston, we knew that we had to come out to practice on Thursday ready to work. Like I said before, every team in the Big 12 is going to be good and no one is going to back down and “give” a win away. We knew Iowa State was going to be no different. We left Friday morning at 11 a.m. with winning two games on our mind. Before we left, we had to take care of some academic business first. To me, this is the busiest time of the year. With practice, games, the last round of tests and final exams creeping up on you, we also have to get things in order for next year. All athletes had early registration on Thursday before we left. This is an amazing benefit that athletes receive. Call me crazy, but I always love registering for next year’s classes. This year’s registration, more than last, has motivated me like no other! My roommates had the luxury of not registering because they will be graduating in May, but I’ll be taking a semester longer and graduating in December of 2010. You wouldn’t think that registering would be that difficult, but having to find the right classes that don’t interfere with conditioning/practice times can be stressful. Most of us wouldn’t be able to get through our lives without Mindy Phillips, our athletic academic advisor.

Sometimes I wonder what goes through Mindy’s mind when she has about six student-athletes (she also has baseball and volleyball) in her office stressed out and frustrated with their schedule. Mindy works wonders as an academic advisor and just someone to talk to if you are having a bad day. I speak for the whole team, as well as myself, when I say that Mindy’s patience, knowledge and personality have saved me, literally, from going over the edge! J She also expects the most out of us. Every month we are required to go to office hours with all of our professors to get an academic report signed. Most people think it is just another thing to put on our hefty “to-do” lists, but with this, I have really gotten the chance to get to know all of my professors. Also, my professors have gotten to know me, which helps out a lot in the long run.  I just want to tell Mindy thanks for all the hours she has put into our success off the field , thanks for being there for each and every one of us and just thanks for all that you do. I guess being a senior has made me think about how much I’m going to miss people like Mindy. They always say that you get emotional with age, so enough with the mushy stuff, back to some softball.

Like I said, we left for Iowa at 11 a.m. on Friday morning. We were able to watch “Angels in the Outfield” on the bus ride to Houston. That movie always reminds me of being a kid. I absolutely loved that movie when I was little and watching it now makes me love it that much more! I guess you could say I really took that movie to heart when I was little because I always looked for angels swooping down to help someone on the field. You never know, “it could happen!”

We got to Iowa and ate at P.F. Chang’s and then went to the hotel. We went to bed and woke up ready to play. After some late inning heroics by Meagan May, we squeaked out our first win, but knew we could definitely play better on Sunday. When we got back to the hotel Saturday night, we kept up with the baseball team’s game against Texas and then headed to bed. The next day we came out fired up and had a great victory to finish out the series. Speaking of playing Texas, we are finishing out our series with the Longhorns in Austin on Wednesday. Hope to see as many of you that can possibly make it out to Austin! It is going to be a great game and we are already gearing up for it!

As many of you know, once Big 12 play hits, every game, every inning and every pitch is a battle in itself. We knew this week was going to test us and show us what we must perfect looking down the road. We came away with two wins and two losses on the week, but one thing is for sure…Fightin’ Texas Aggie softball has the best fans in the nation.  I know I keep repeating this, but I truly do feel blessed to play in front of fans that are rooting for you no matter what. I speak for the team and myself when I tell you how much we love playing for ya’ll and thank you for making every second worthwhile.

The week started off great with a solid win over Stephen F. Austin. I always like playing SFA for two reasons. The first is that one of my good friends, that I played ball with since we were little bitty, plays a great third base for them. Briana Bishop and I have literally grown up at the ball fields together. Now we are playing our last year of softball and I wish her the best of luck. Another reason I like to play SFA is to see their coach. In our team room, we have every All-American’s picture on the wall. SFA’s coach, Gay McNutt, was an All-American for the Aggies in 1985 and I just think it’s really cool to see someone in that position from this program’s history. To go along with history and taking pride in your school, another really neat thing that we are required to know all the names of the players who have worn our jersey number. What is really ironic is that as I was researching my number, I realized that my high school coach, Shelley Batson (who was Shelley Toney at the time), wore jersey number 4.  I could spend an entire day on what Coach Batson has done for me and how much she means to me, but until I took a step back and looked at the history of Aggie softball, I never realized she wore my jersey. Just proves that you learn something new every day!

After a great win over SFA, it was time for the Lone Star Showdown. Besides beating Texas, the atmosphere, the feeling in your stomach when playing your rival, and everything else, I would have to say that the dance off before the game was the all-time greatest moment in locker-room history. This is how it all went down: Due to rain and lightening, the game was delayed for a while. Well, the team was so pumped for the game, that sitting around waiting to play was not an option. We watched one of our highlight videos and then after that we just all ended up in the locker room. We had the music blaring and then out of nowhere, Kelsey and Lindsey busted out all of their dance moves. It was awesome! Now it is not uncommon for any one of us to be dancing at any given time, but I have been around for 21 years and I have never seen dance moves like that! Everyone joined in, but Mel and I were laughing too hard to join in. Mel and Lauren ended up getting a top secret video of the dance off, although, it wasn’t so secret the next day when they revealed the video during study hall. I’ve been thinking it should be put on YouTube, so I’ll let you know if this happens.

Speaking of YouTube, our team is a huge fan! My family makes fun of me because every time I go home, I have to show them the latest ones. They think all I do every day is search for YouTube videos, but in reality, our team is constantly keeping everyone up with the funniest videos.  Some of our favorites include, “David after Dentist” “Blood” “Josh Womack’s Bat Tricks” “Fosse Walk it out Dance” “Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama” “USF and UCONN Baseball dance off” and “Scarlet takes a fall.” These are just a few of the many we recite to each other on an everyday basis.

So, with the dance off and a huge clutch hit by freshman Mel Dumizich aka “Big D” we were able to get a huge win against Texas on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, this weekend wasn’t as victorious, but we are getting ready for Sam Houston on Wednesday and then Iowa Sate this weekend.

Blooper #8
I don’t have a legit blooper this week (I guess everyone is really watching themselves around me so they don’t get “blogged”) but if you watch the YouTube videos, you will be sure to get a chuckle in there! I’m going to give a little background on the “Fosse Walk it out” video.  The original music to this dance is really slow and boring, but someone cleverly decided to put a rap song instead of the older music, and coincidentally it fits perfectly with their moves. Our team was going to do this dance for the annual athlete talent show, but after a couple practices, that one soon fell through. Enjoy!

You know you are an Aggie when you go on the road and still have better fans than the home team. This was very true when we went down the road to play the Baylor Bears last Wednesday night. Right before the game, I looked into the stands (my teammates would fine me if they knew I was looking into the stands)* and saw three guys that looked just like some of the Sugar Daddies, but they were decked out in Baylor gear. As I was trying to figure out who they were, they took off the Baylor hat and jacket to reveal their true colors. Three of our Sugar Daddies had come in wearing Baylor colors so that they could purchase seats right behind home plate.  The rest of the guys were keeping the third base side stands awake, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the Aggie softball fans out there that came to support us, especially all the Sugar Daddies. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to pull through with a win, but we will never forget that loss and it is something we will build from.

Two days after we went to Baylor, we were on the road again, or should I say waiting to get on the road. We were scheduled to leave for Nebraska on Thursday and play games Friday and Saturday so we could have Easter Sunday with our families. The weather was forecasted to be rainy and cold in Nebraska on Friday, so the games were postponed until Saturday. On Friday, we had practice at 11 a.m. and then left for Nebraska at 6 p.m. This trip was unlike any other in that we were able to take a charter flight. This is nice because you don’t have to worry about security, check-in, baggage claim, or waiting for a flight. Basically we get to the airport, show the flight attendant our ID and get on the plane. When we land, a bus is waiting for us to take us to our hotel….what more could you ask for?! On Saturday, we played a doubleheader against Nebraska and came away with one win and one loss. Not what we went to accomplish because in our minds, we were coming home with two wins, but that is over so now we will look ahead to our next opponent.

 We got back into town around 10 p.m. Saturday night. Some of the team went home for Easter while some of the girls stayed in town and spent it with their “second family”. For Easter, my family went to the 11 a.m. church service (we usually go to the 8:30 a.m. service, but my dad was supporting us in Nebraska and wasn’t fortunate enough to fly on a charter plane. He didn’t get back in town until 3 a.m. Easter morning.) After church we went out to eat and then I went with my boyfriend to pick out a boxer puppy! The puppies were so adorable and he decided on a black and white sealed brindle. I wanted to bring it back with us, but we have to wait six weeks! My Easter Sunday was a great day off, but I’m so pumped about the week to come.

 Since we had a day off on Sunday, we were ready to get back to work to prepare us for the week ahead. We host three great teams (SFA, Texas and Oklahoma) this week at home in front of the 12^th Man…again, what more could a girl ask for?! This week is going to be exciting and we would love to see as many people in the stands as possible! The fun thing about playing these teams is that all of us know many of the girls from either playing with or against them our entire lives. I’ve talked to some of the girls on other teams and they’ve told me that they love playing against us just because of the atmosphere in our stadium.  Yet another reason why playing for Texas A&M is the greatest! So for all of you who have never been, this week is the week to come out and watch. For those of you who are regulars, we would love to see you there again, and for everyone else….I’ll see you there!

Thanks and Gig’em!

 *Our team has this thing called a Kangaroo Court. This is just something to hold everyone accountable for their actions and the actions of their teammates. If someone fines you, you actually have to pay that money to Erin. Some fines include things like not hustling, not looking sharp, being late and another one is definitely looking into the stands. So shhhh!

Blooper #7: MAYFLOWER!

On the plane ride home, some of us were playing the Name Game. The objective of the game is to get your partner to guess the person you are thinking of by using one-word clues. You cannot use places, names or numbers for your clues. If you call “First Try” and your teammate gets the answer on the first try, your team gets three points instead of one. Well, the person we were trying to guess was Christopher Columbus. Kelsea was so excited because she just knew Mel was going to get this from the first clue, so she yells out “First Try” and then yells “Mayflower” even louder. While the rest of us are really confused by the clue, Mel shouts “Christopher Columbus” and they get the three points. It was a good clue if you were talking about the Pilgrims! We had to explain to Kelsea that Columbus did not sail the Mayflower and if I remember correctly it was a three ships, one being the Santa Maria. It’s alright Kels, you always know how to put a smile on everyone’s face!

Howdy! 

One thing that I love about being an Aggie is the fact that one can say “Howdy” to a complete stranger and not feel embarrassed. Monday morning Becca and I talked to second graders from Hearne and Snook about bicycle helmet safety. We incorporated how important it is to wear helmets in our sport and talked about how it was the same as if you were riding a bike. At the end of the presentation, we gave each second grader a helmet so they had no excuse not to practice helmet safety. I tell you this only because those kids absolutely loved the “Howdy” tradition and boy could they scream it! They were a little shy at first, but once they warmed up, there was no stopping them. Gotta love all the Aggie Traditions!

Speaking of Aggie Traditions, many of you know there are more traditions at Texas A&M than I could possibly write about, but I’m going to let you in on some inside traditions of our own. Coach Evans loves the traditions that this school stands for and expects that each of us lives by them also. Our team is rich in our own tradition and also that of the school. I love the fact that Coach Evans expects her athletes to be a part of the student body and Aggie family. I guess people could say that some athletes get a bad reputation for not getting involved in traditions, and events with the entire student body, but that is not the case with our team. We go to Muster as a team, and my freshman year, when we were on the road, we had our own Muster as a team with other Aggie Alum.

Another tradition that I hated when I was a freshman, but love it now that I’m older is the freshmen yells. As a freshman, each one of us is required to learn and appreciate the Aggie War Hymn and the Spirit of Aggieland. On the Friday of the first week of team practice in the fall, all the freshman have to get in front of the team and sing the War Hymn and the Spirit of Aggieland. This is not to embarrass or pick on anyone, its purpose is to make the entire incoming class (freshman and transfers) learn both songs that are so important to the University. Our class had to learn the hard way that this is no joking matter. When we were freshman, we all knew the songs, but we started laughing and messed up on the songs. After we were done, Coach informed us that we needed to have better posture and take it more seriously. Needless to say, we had a five star performance the next Friday for sure!

Another one of the many traditions Aggie softball holds is our everyday routine. Every practice since Coach Evans has been at Texas A&M, they have ended practice the exact same way. Once the team is done cooling down (taking a lap and stretching), we give the staff high fives and then all meet back up at home plate. We finish in a circle around home, talk about business like lunch orders, uniforms, or anything that needs to be said, and then we finish with a yell. I mentioned this earlier in the blogs, but Eden tells us which yell we will be doing and then we yell the yell loud and proud!

Another tradition is the senior pass-downs. The team has several senior pass-downs including the “Yell Leader” which Holly Ridley recently passed down to Eden, the “good” stirrups that Jami Lobpries passed down to me, the person who whoops the longest in the circle which was passed down from Holly to Kelsey Spittler, the sweat pants that have never been washed (passed down to me from Jami) and the person who yells after someone gets on base (passed down to me from Lisa Gorzycki.) These are just a few of the many, but as you can see, we are rich in tradition! When a senior graduates, they will pass down something that they had to someone still on the team to keep the tradition going. I love playing for Texas A&M, because you know that what you are doing has been done by many amazing players in the past. In fact, in each one of our lockers, we have the names of the people who have worn our jersey.

Another tradition that I say we were very good at last weekend was the tradition of playing our best everyday! We swept Kansas in our Big 12 season opener and we can’t wait to get on the road this week. We play at Nebraska on Saturday so that we will have Easter Sunday to spend with family and friends.

Until next time…

Blooper #6: Meagan May

So being an outfielder I don’t get to see many of the little things that happen on the infield, but apparently the fans see a lot more than I do. I’ve been informed by more than one person that in between innings, Meagan May sways and dances to the music while catching the pitchers. I haven’t seen this, but knowing Meagan, this doesn’t surprise me one bit. So next time Meagan’s behind the plate check it out and let me know! Meagan is full of laughs so stay tuned for something even better than that.