May 21 - - Sweet Home Alabama
It started with an e-mail. A simple every day activity we all take for granted, but it changed my life. I must have sent out almost a dozen of them hoping that someone would answer my prayers. I wasn't ready to end my career, I wasn't ready to say good-bye to being part of a team, and I saw all of that slipping away from me after I decided to discontinue my stay at WMU. I met Coach Al back in the summer of 2006. I couldn't understand a lick of what he was saying, but one thing was clear; he wanted me to play at Madonna.
It's 7 a.m. and normally I'd be fast asleep, but something was bothering me. Our boys lost their final game of the season last night. They were in a "do or die" situation and unfortunately they came up short. My heart went out to the seniors who stepped off the field for the last time. To tell you the truth, until right now I hadn't given much thought to the same event happening fairly soon in my own career.
I'm not worried about "what now." I know that playing four years under Coach Al has prepared me to work for any boss. I've grown a thick skin here at MU and I say that in the best way possible. Coach Al and his staff may yell at us until we start to worry about their blood pressure, but we all know they love us like family. I wouldn't trade my experience here for anything. The ups and downs have all been learning experiences, but just as I wasn't ready to let it all go in 2006, this morning I'm not ready to let go.
We upset the number 8 team yesterday, and today we face the number 9, but it's not going to be any easier. A scouting report from last night (Tally, Brit, Jess, Cox, and myself watched our next two opponents face off under the lights) shows me that the next few days won't be any walk in the park. We are going to have to play some of the best softball we have ever played.
Coach Curt reminded us yesterday of all the push-ups, stairs, sprints, and Sunday practices we battled through early in the season. All of that hard work throughout the year was for days like today. When we would be pushed beyond anything we've ever done before.
We might not be in a do or die situation today, but maybe we should play like we are. I'm not ready to be done yet girls, and I know you're not either. So Get up! Get pumped! FTB! FEU and Score first! IT'S JUST WHAT WE DO!
MU Blog #8 Tis the Season
Welcome back Crusader fans! I know that the blogs have been few and far between lately but it's a busy time of the year for spring sport athletes. With finals last week and make up games on the schedule, to say it's been hectic is an understatement. I am happy to report that I passed all my classes and I've only heard good news back from the rest of the gals!
Yesterday's double header at University Field saw a pumped up Crusader team FTB in a 6-1 game one win over Davenport. Brit Scero was hitting the heck out of the ball going 4-4 and always looking to get that extra base. The outies used the power found in Tally's hand scar to help out the Crusader cause as well. We won't talk too much about game two as it's in the past and we don't need to dwell on it. However, I would like to point out that I'm proud of our freshmen pitchers, Fern and Natalie for doing there thing under extreme pressure. You guys did great!
It's a big week for MU softball with our games yesterday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We finish up league play this week and look forward to the WHAC tournament just around the corner, but I wanted to take the time now to reflect on some of the finer points that I've missed this season.
Now I know that some of the girls were worried about some of this stuff and were probably hoping that I just forgot about it, but unfortunately for you I have the memory of an elephant.
When I told everyone about our trip to Arizona I forgot to tell you this little nugget: Now before our trip every year Coach Al makes sure to constantly remind us not to forget our license when we leave for the airport. This makes sense seeing as how our own Jess Irwin forgot her license her rookie year. This year however, it was our own Coach Al that slipped up. He explained to me (in his best West Virginia accent) that he "stopped to get a dag gone coffee at Mickey D's and left my license and credit card on the center counsel." He had to rush back out to his car out in the middle of no man's land to get it. Oh the irony!
Now anyone who knows Erica Landess has an idea that maybe she was born blonde. The girl always has a question and is not shy to ask them out loud. I'm not entirely sure which trip we were going on, but Erica had a very important question to ask. "Do we need to pack our plastic spikes too?" Oh boy… welcome to college Erica, we don't wear plastic spikes… EVER. In her defense, the cleats we order from Adidas come with both metal and plastic turf spikes, but come on seriously? We love ya E!
Good things happen while the Crusaders are on the road. One of those good things is that I got to spend a lot of time with my on the road roomies Jess and Sidor. These two tend to go to sleep a little earlier than I do so I stay up a little while watching TV or whatever. Jess is a twitcher for one, and for two she talks in her sleep! Usually it's a series of words that make little sense when put together, but on one occasion she formed the phrase, "Tis the season." Now I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean when it was March, but I like to think she ment "tis the season for softball."
I'm sure there's more embarrassing stories I can tell you, but I think I'll save those for a later date. We play at home at 4 on Thursday against Cornerstone and 3 on Friday against Aquinas (which also happens to be senior day). I only have two more home games of my collegiate career so I hope to see plenty Crusader fans out there supporting your girls!
Blog #7 - Laundry Was Calling
I know it's been almost a month since my last post, but I've been entirely too busy doing my laundry. It took me two days of soaking, scrubbing and oxy-cleaning but I finally got most of the mud out of my uniform.
This month started off on the winning end of things as we took care of Huntington and met a minor speed bump as we split with Tech (not something likely to repeat itself later in the month).
Our long weekend on the road was cut a little short as the rain came down in Grand Rapids. We got to the fourth inning before becoming completely soaked at Davenport (if anyone from Davenport happens to read my blog, if you find my sunglasses in the dugout please return them. They actually looked decent on my face. Thanks).
Less than a week later we were yet again left out in the rain by Mother Nature only this time against league rival U of M Dearborn. Even with the rain coming down our bats were hot. And even with the infield looking more like a figure 8 track, we were making things happen on the bases. Coach Al suggested changing our name from Crusaders to the Madonna Mudders. It was pretty fitting.
Things finally returned to normal this weekend as we set off once again for Grand Rapids; this time facing Cornerstone and Aquinas. Our first game against Cornerstone seemed to last 5 hours. Brit knocked one over the leftfielder's head and ran like Benny ‘the jet' Rodriguez for an in-the-parker (it counts as a homer in my book); Sidor must've packed her broom because she added a few dingers to help lead our sweep of CU. In game two, with the sun setting fast we decided to make quick work of the Golden Eagles going 14-1 in five innings. We were in prime form.
Breakfast was a little crowded in the morning as both MU baseball and softball were residing in this particular Comfort Inn. Drew Fry was hogging the waffle maker when I got down there and they were all out of orange juice. Thanks guys.
Although the rain held off this weekend, the wind was kickin' come Saturday. That didn't stop superstar Jess Irwin from striking out pretty much everyone. Yup, it was a pretty uneventful day in left field… thanks Jess. Hallie came through in game two striking out five while Shay hit one into the parking lot for the Crusaders.
Other than all the awesome softball we played this weekend, I added to my collection of sleeping Straub pictures and finally got my Easter candy I left in Richmond (thanks Mom). Overall a very successful weekend! Me and the ladies return to the diamond Wednesday at Concordia and we look forward to seeing everyone Saturday at our first home game against Siena Heights!
Special side note for Strauby - - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Congrats on not being a teenager anymore!
Blog #5 Pick Up Yo Lips
Although Arizona was a great success for Madonna Softball, we knew going into this season that it would be something of a struggle for us to live up to all the talent on our roster. Finding the perfect spot for every piece of our Crusader puzzle has been tricky (especially with all these new pieces). This weekend definitely put our puzzle to the test.
Thursday was a slow start to our Ohio road trip as we split against Rio Grande, and Norm got the bus stuck in the mud. (See the picture below)
Unfortunately, our bats were still asleep on Friday as we split again; this time with Shawnee State. Even though it was only our first two losses of the season, we knew that they shouldn't have even been close; that we should have beat the snot out of both teams.
We were already sick of losing and wanted to get down to the root of the issue. After a much needed team pep talk and a rather restless night of sleep, we were all pretty pumped to get back at Shawnee. I didn't think we could get any more fired up, but then Coach Al gave us a little speech that really threw gas on the flames. The Bears didn't know what hit them Saturday when we finally started playing our game and steam rolled them 11-1 and 9-1.
I thought that our sweep of Shawnee was going to be a turning point for us and we'd keep with the winning trend, but come Sunday afternoon we were being swept back to Michigan on one of the most rank buses I've ever had to ride.
We beat ourselves all weekend with mental mistakes, errors, and cold bats. Every girl on the team is aware that we could've and should've won every game in Ohio. I know this isn't the most upbeat posting, but coming back from Ohio 4-4 definitely put a sour taste in my mouth. Luckily, there's something to be learned in every loss. I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a team and hopefully individually as well.
We're gunna need to bring our A-Game Saturday as we travel to Indiana to face off against Bethel. It won't be an easy match-up so the bats need to wake-up and we need to start playing the Madonna Softball we know we can.
Blog #4 Let's Get the Show on the Rodeo!!
Whelp it has been a while since I last updated and with our trip to Arizona officially over, there's a lot of great things to talk about! If you have been following our progress so far you already know that we went 9-0 in Tucson... unless you count the 3 games we lost to Mother Nature. Who-da- thunk we'd get rained out in the desert!
Monday was no good as we found out we wouldn't be playing due to rain. We passed the time by doing a little homework (not so much for me) and taking a trip to the mall. I'd say that trip was pretty successful as Ali (Robinson) got a really cute haircut while Jess (Irwin) and I had a ball in the pet store with a beagle we named Pongo.
After the mall we were treated to dinner at Frog & Firkin's by (Kaitlin) Hamann's Uncle Jerry. This place had the biggest pizza I've ever seen, and they were pretty good too. We definitely didn't need to order as much as we did as we soon found out that 1-2 pieces was more than enough. Uncle Jerry is an awesome supporter of MU softball and we really can't thank him enough for all he does!
(That's us with Uncle Jerry in the photo)
Tuesday was our day off and most of the girls were off doing activities with their families. I spent the day at Colossal Cave with my parents. It was educational and interesting… but it smelled a bit like bat poo, and I'm just not into that. Tuesday night we enjoyed a night out at Pinacle Peak which is a steak house where they put on an old west show before dinner. The show was hilarious, the food was great, and I think everyone had a pretty good time. They even had little shops that sucked tourists like myself in like moths to a flame. It was totally worth it because (Kat) Smiley (My roommate and former MU centerfielder) loved her cactus shaped back-scratcher.
Wednesday we headed back to the field and squared off against Viterbo University. The V-Hawks gave us a good run for our meal money as the game was sent into extra innings before (Cat) Sidor sealed the deal by brining Brit (Scero) around from second to end the game. I'm not sure if it was this game, or our game against Great Falls but I met up with my arch nemesis…break-away fences. Luckily for the team, it was a foul ball; too bad for my pride, I had no chance to catch it.
Our offense kept rolling all week as we came back to Michigan on Friday with a team batting average of .405 and both Tally (Tara LaMilza) and (Ashley) Shay returned with dingers in the score book. Not to mention Kelly being named WHAC player of the week for her stellar performance at the plate for MU.
After my ridiculous flight back from Phoenix (literally 20 toddlers on my flight) it was nice to have a day off on Saturday to rest up. The break didn't last long as 9 am practice came a little too early for me with having to "Spring forward" and what not. Thankfully, practice was laid back and I was able to get home early to catch up on all that homework I didn't do in Arizona.
Crusader softball hits the road Thursday for a trip south… to Ohio. Hopefully Mother Nature comes through for us this weekend and we can keep the winning streak going, and I'll have some great tales to tell you of our bus time activities. By the way, the title of this week's blog is courtesy of Amber Rafko.
Blog #3 "Ball Don't Lie!"
Oh boy Crusader Fans! Only a few days into our spring trip and so much has happened! Since I last posted, we hopped on our 3 separate flights and made our way down to Arizona.
While I heard a minimal amount of stories from the first group out, the second flight (my flight) had some fun, and a few girls from the third flight even got pictures with the pilot in the cockpit.
During my flight, Slater (Ariel Cox) and (Katelyn) Hamann spent a lot of time doing homework and sleeping. I passed the time by reading magazines and starting to read The Blind Side (so far so good). Slater was jolted from her nap by some foreigners getting in a fight (both verbal and physical) and I met a gentleman from Phoenix who gave me some helpful hints on what to do during downtime in Tucson.
Because we were all getting into Tucson at different times, it was difficult to schedule a practice time. Unfortunately 8 of us didn't have the chance to get a feel of the field before our first game. But by the time we all made it to the hotel everyone was ready to relax in the hot tub and get some chow. Coaches ordered up some pizza and after we filled up it was time to get a good night's sleep for game day Saturday!
Saturday we got up early to get a good breakfast in and head off to the field. The hotel we are staying at has a pretty great complementary breakfast. There's all sorts of good things like scrambled eggs, sausage/bacon, potatoes, cereal, muffins/bagels, and fresh fruit. Breakfast of champions. Tila (Tara LaMilza) and E (Erica Landess) and Slater must have had a double helping of the champions breakfast because they were hitting the spit out of the ball!
Scary moment during our first game: Brit (Scero) was standing behind the dugout when a ball pitched by our second victims scaled a fence and knocked her good in the back of the head. Brit sat out a few innings but was back to herself in no time, although I'm sure she's got a pretty good goose egg on her noggin.
Our newbies came out and had a great first day on the job for MU, and our veterans did what they do best. Both pitchers came out and got the job done while our offense was on fire. While relaying the stats to former Crusader leftfielder Mary Kate Setta she commented that Tila is the "Dark horse of the team, or maybe like a secret bomb of sorts." I couldn't agree more, and if today was any indication on how the rest of our season will play out, Crusader fans should be ready for some real fireworks!
Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, but it's not supposed to start until afternoon. So keep your fingers crossed that we get our early games in tomorrow and check back for more from this lady soon!
Rachael
Blog #2
Welcome back Crusader Nation!
It has been brought to my attention that my fellow blogger, Trent Pohl, is treating his blog more like a Twitter account. The wizard of words is updating faster than I can keep up!! Of course I am just bugging Trent; I hope everyone is checking out Pohl's Pen!
7a.m. practice was a laid back affair Tuesday morning as we are all finalizing travel and packing arrangements for Friday. Unlike the baseball team (who will be doing some team bonding on the long drive down to Florida), we will be flying to our destination. Although the upper classmen are use to this by now, you could feel a bit of panic from the freshies regarding what to pack and which flight they are on (we have three different flights). Best way to combat the stress is with a good game of dodgeball!
After practice we were treated to a delicious lunch at Coach's Corner by the ever generous Coach George. Coach Al, Brit (Brittney Scero), and Jess (Irwin) went bust playing Keno while Nat (Natalie Sanborn) hit up the arcade games where it was decided she shouldn't handle firearms. Unfortunately we forgot to sing happy birthday to Hallie (Minch). Happy Birthday Hal!! We are all really appreciative of Coach George for giving us a great meal; it's a wonderful kick-off to our season!
With only one more practice till we leave for Arizona, we are all hoping for good weather (Tucson has been experiencing some rain) and safe travel. I'll have more updates for you once we get a few games under our belts… which we'll be wearing this year so don't forget to pack em' girls!
Blog #1 "We" Ready!
Welcome Crusader Softball fans to the 2010 MU player blog! This year, fans can follow team news and progress from a player's point of view by checking back here periodically!
I'd like to begin by briefly introducing myself; my name is Rachael Kethe, I am a senior outfielder majoring in English in the College of Education with a minor in biology. Blah Blah Blah ... here's the good stuff:
Preparation for the 2010 season began back in September and after fall ball we started small group workouts and conditioning. Coach Al led us through our mid-week "hell" practices which had us hitting the weight room and what seemed like every set of stairs on campus. After the success of our 2009 season, and the signing of 9 rookies, we knew we would have to work harder than any other team in our league to make it back to nationals in 2010. Coach Curt made sure of this in January when our regular season practices got under way.
With preseason camps and practices winding down, the Crusaders are getting a bit, "cagey" as Coach Al says, to get on the diamond in Arizona. Every week, we are improving the quickness and fluency of our drills, and you can tell that the new girls are feeling more at home these days than back in the fall.
The girls are actively working together not only during practice but at meal times as well! We have been getting together for regular team dinners hosted by each individual class. Things were kicked off by me and my fellow seniors (Brit Dawg (Brittney Scero) and Cat Sidor). The girls were pretty impressed with our skills in the kitchen as we whipped up some grilled cheese and tomato soup. We were equally impressed by the juniors (Jess Irwin is an Iron Chef) and sophomore when it was their turns, and we're still waiting on what should be a pretty abundant feast from our nine newbies. I'm thinking we need at least four courses out of that bunch!
Our hard work will be put to the test as we open the 2010 season against the Panthers of Purdue University-North Central in less than a week. All the girls are really itching to get into the Arizona sunshine and out of the gym! Coach Al got his hair cut this week and Maryln already packed his SPF 60 sun block. So you can see we're more than ready to get out of this snow and onto the field in Tucson.
Hopefully I can give you some insider updates on the happenings in Az. We always have a blast on the road. I'm really looking forward to tanning and our second annual dance competition! Oh, and you know we'll get it done on the diamond too! Can't wait to see everyone and hopefully the Royal Army out at some home games in April!
M WHO? MU!
Rachael
Rachael Kethe is a senior outfielder on the Madonna University softball team.
