Its Almost Time.....

Time is winding down for the DC softball team, as the Florida games are approaching fast. This means that the first game in Kentucky is only six days away.

Friday night was the team retreat in the WCC. We played alot of team building games and also some medic dodgeball & hide and seek. I think that the team building was a good way for everyone to get their stress off of their chests and strengthen our team. Since the first game is not too far away, competition for positions is quickly heating up. Everyone was getting frustrated with eachother and people were yelling and screaming. If an outsider would have witness all of the chaos they would have thought that we were joking when people said we were a good team, because at that time it sure didnt seem like it. But after the team building was over, everyone was in a way better mood and the atmosphere didnt seem as heavy.

Today's practice was a lot better overall than the previous few weeks. Everyone was in a little better of a mood and things went alot smoother. I think that the whole team can contribute that to the retreat last night. Hopefully that calmness and teamwork carries on into all of our games in Florida and for the rest of the season.

Yellow Jacket Softball Ranked 27th in the NCFA Preseason Poll

You know the nervous feeling when your coach calls you over and says she needs to talk to you? Well the other day before practice, she called the team over, acted really serious, and told us she needed to talk. We all looked at eachother like we were going to get in trouble. Instead of the yelling we were expecting, we were shown a paper of the rankings for the NCFA Division III preseason poll. We weren't in the top 25 on the poll, but we were ranked 27th. This is the first time in the history of the softball progam that the Defiance College softball team recieved votes in the preseason poll. We were also the only team in the HCAC make it onto the poll.

Coming into the Defiance softball program, I knew that they were good. It is very exciting that coming in as a freshman, I will hopefully get to experience some great things in softball. It is amazing that people see the program as being this great.

Even more on the plus side of life, there are less than three weeks left of 5am practices. This means that there are only a few more days where I have to wake up really early in the morning. Then we actually get to practice outside in the dirt. To quote one of our softball players at practice, "Coach, the only thing that keeps us going is the dirt in the bottom of this bucket." To be completely honest, it is very true. If it wasn't for looking forward to going outside, no one would make it through the 5am practices in the gym. Slowly, but surely, we are making it through.

The 2010 Defiance College Softball Team

From left to right, [Front Row] Lisa Brophy, Izzy Huffman, Katelyn Samples, Katie Miller, Ashley Switzer, Kelsey Williams, Brittany Gow, Kiki Rudden [Second Row] Assistant Melanie Bushman, Assistant Amber Jack, Tasha Stucke, Kelly Schnipke, Shauna Bowers, Becky Petrie, Aubrie Ridinger, Coach Jodie Holava [Back Row] Assistant Kellie Coble, Mallory Faling, Nicole Diers, Aarika Davis, Marah Robinson, Kaycee Butt, Trainer Jessica White, Trainer Brian Downs.

Time is Winding Down

Everyone is counting down the days until our first softball game on March 5th. Mostly I think it is because that is the sign that our 5:00 AM practices will finally be over. Everyone is exhausted and many of us can barely find time to eat a decent sit-down meal. On a paper that coach gave us about playing D3 sports, it said that we play D3 sports because we love the game, not because we are getting paid, or getting any type of scholarship. It's all about the love of the game. It must be true that every single one of us loves the sport, or we wouldn't be waking up for practice at 4:00 AM. Either it's the love of the sport, or some sort of mental disease that all of us contracted. Either way, I can honestly say I still love it, even though it takes up at least 17 hours out of a 24 hour day.