Diary

Sarah
Morse

May 31, 2006 - Entry 6

As summer is getting into full swing it seems a good time to reflect on the season. I am so proud of what this team accomplished this spring. From coming off a year in which we lost six contributing seniors and also missed a postseason bid to Regionals to having only four upperclassmen, many obstacles faced our team this season. However, due to a theme inspired by our own Rocky from Philly (Ashley Tobar of Levittown, PA) and our shadow-boxing Coach A (Coach Gary Anderson) we strapped on our gloves and fought the entire season to get back to where we knew we should be: vying for a spot in the World Series.

This year can be summarized in one word: fight. We fought every day in practice to become better, we fought in every game to win, we fought injuries, tests and papers; we fought it all. This season there was a pronounced determination to return to postseason play and we wanted to make sure that every step of the way we took care of business in order to achieve that goal. Freshman Kim Bandy fought when she stepped up and hit a grand slam homerun against Milsaps when we were down and needed a rallying point. Junior Lauren Haag fought when she continued to play on a sprained ankle, Senior Emily Sunshine fought when she played out the season with a dislocated shoulder and Sophomore Ali Braverman fought through months of rehab, a surgery and more rehab on her hand. Sophomore Ashley Tobar fought on the mound when she allowed only one hit against our UAA competitors, WashU. Coach Siqueiros fought for us when she went toe-to-toe with an umpire in Montgomery. And Freshman Amanda Kerns fought when she, in the semi-finals of the Regional tournament, hit a solo-home run to tie the game against Roanoke. We fought.

And all of that determination and desire paid off when it counted. In the Regional tournament in Salem, VA we played the best softball that we have all season long. We battled against eight talented teams and twice challenged a very strong and experienced Muskingum, who went on to win Regionals and place third in the World Series.

This year was such a fun year in so many ways. There were new families added to the Emory Softball extended family, new inside jokes created and (multiple) new warm-up CDs created. Everyone left the season feeling proud about how far we had come and how well we did once we got there. Proud and excited? Yes. Satisfied and content? No. While we know we had an outstanding season and enjoyed the year so much we also know that we are capable of more and are looking forward to the opportunity to demonstrate that.

It is always bittersweet at the end of the year. We are proud and pleased with the accomplishments of the year but sad to say goodbye to this year’s team. College sports are unique in that the team changes every year with the graduation of seniors and the addition of freshmen. This year we had only one senior, Emily Sunshine, but she has had the impact of 10 seniors. She has been a tremendous leader, one of our best friends and a true standout on the field. Sunshine was named All-American this year and I can think of no student-athlete more deserving. Congratulations, Sunny, and best of luck next year at Northwestern.

To all of our fans, families and friends, a big THANK YOU! You have been fantastic this year and we are very excited to see you again next season!

Sarah Morse is a junior from Topeka, Kansas. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.