And now begins POST SEASON!  Yesterday, Friday April 24, 2009 Lock Haven softball had their first game of the post season versus Shippensburg University.  This weekend of games consists of a three team tournament and the winner of this tournament moves onto the PSAC Championship which will be held next Sunday at a location to be determined.          

            Yesterday's game went great!  We hit the ball hard and often, our defense made some great plays, and Erb had yet another exceptional game while only allowing two hits.

            Besides softball, the lives of the Lock Haven players are pretty hectic right now.  Finals begin on Monday, which are never fun, 5 of us girls are preparing for our graduation ceremonies next weekend, due to different majors, my ceremony is on Friday while the other four girls have theirs on Saturday.  The word graduation still scares me to death, when Friday comes I'm not exactly sure how my emotions will be.  I can be a kind of "emotional roller coaster" at times, so I guess we'll see on Friday.

            Coach Green had to sit us down as a team today to describe so us the process and brackets of this post season because it is a bit different then years past.  We have two weekends for PSAC's and Super Regionals and most of us girls didn't really understand the procedure.  As we were looking at the brackets, we realized that we only had to win 12 games to come out on top of this 2009 season.  12 games.  Now we won the first game yesterday, so 11 is now the number.  We know it is NOT going to be easy, and these next 5 weeks and 11 games will be the absolute toughest of our lives, but we are ready.  We know what it takes, and unfortunately, we know all too well how it feels to come in second and third.  Most teams would love the opportunity to come in second or third, but for our team of girls, and the talent and dedication we have, it's not enough.  One thing this team is extremely good at is taking one game at a time.  We don't look down the road at Regionals and definitely not NCAA Championships.  Right now we are focusing on our game today against Shippensburg and we will take that game one inning and one pitch at a time. 

            I'm off now to Dunkin Donuts with some of the girls; it has become our pre-game ritual.  I'll write again soon to fill you in with the results of today's play.  Go Haven!

Sarah #22

This softball season has been flying by like the blink of an eye so.  I cannot believe that it is April 16 and we are coming up upon a weekend where we have our LAST regular season games.  As a senior, the previous sentence hits home pretty hard.  I have always been the person to laugh while my previous and fellow seniors get emotional about the end of the season, but it is coming back to bite me as I wipe away tears during huddles after games.  These past four years have been the best of my life, and I'm hoping that somehow, someway these next few weeks go as slow as molasses. 

This past week has been somewhat uneventful, and that is a good thing!  Ever since the day we left for spring break in Hawaii the Lady Bald Eagles have been traveling all the time!  We only have 5 home games to begin with, so most of our games are away including our trips to Hawaii, West Virginia, and Salem, VA.  We have only been able to practice about once or twice in the whole month of April because we either had games, we were traveling, or the weather prohibited us from practicing on the field.  It seems like whenever I look around I'm either on an opposing players field or on our bus... a small bus might I add.  The kind of bus that is impossible to get comfortable in.  Anyway, our games have been going very well, we play hard and receive the benefits of working so hard. 

On Monday, April 13 a few of my close friends and I had to make an emotional trip to Newtown, PA to attend the funeral of our close friend.  It was so unfortunate that Mark passed away and we all miss him very much.  Not a day goes by that we don't think about him, and our pitcher Kristin Erb writes his initials, MJR, in the dirt on the mound in the beginning of every inning.  He was a very strong supporter of our team and we dedicate every game from here on out to him.  We know his is watching, and yelling at the umpires when they make a bad call.

This weekend coming up is going to be a very eventful weekend.  We have our annual "Knock MS out Of the Park" game vs. Clarion on Friday at 2:30.  We as a team have tried to raise as much money from the LHU faculty, staff, students, and the Lock Haven community to benefit the National MS Society.  Our team has become very competitive; if you can believe it... to raise the most money for the cause.  We are very excited to see the end result, especially because we are trying to get some major organizations and companies to match what we raise.  It feels great to give back to those who are in need and we are working very hard to do so.

Our senior day is Saturday the 18^th and we play Bloomsburg so the fun and anticipation will be high that day.  Senior day has always been something that someone else goes through, but now that it is me and my 7 fellow seniors turn, it feels a little bizarre.  The tears will be flowing in-between games on Saturday when the seniors and their families are announced and walk to the center of the field, and the tears will mostly be coming from our parents I believe. J  They have been such strong supporters since day one and I'm not sure what they are going to do when they don't have a softball season to look forward to, or a weekend of games that they get to "call off work" for! 

Playoffs are the following week and we have set high standards for our performance in that tournament.  Post season is more like the regular season to our team.  We work for post season and the month of May and this is where we set many of our goals.  I'm hoping that you keep following these articles and come along with us on this exciting, scary, emotional journey of ours. 

Sarah #22

We are now 10 games into our conference play and have 10 wins under our belts.  Lock Haven softball is trucking along and I am just trying to put my foot down to slow the ride down just a bit.

Yesterday, April 2, our pitcher Kristen Erb made NCAA Division II history.  She now has the most wins in all of DII softball!!!  Absolutely incredible.  I couldn't be more proud of that girl and more honored to have been able to share the softball diamond with her for the past 4 years.  In the huddle after defeating Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Erb making history, I have to admit I had some tears rolling down my cheeks.  I was overly excited for Erb, thrilled that we had just beaten a team who has always given us a good fight, and I was very sad because for the first time this year, I realized that my softball and college careers are almost over.  It hit me like a ton of bricks, and it was very unexpected.  I look at the girls around me who have become my family and to think about not seeing them everyday like I have for the past 1,2,3, or 4 years makes me sick to my stomach.  I am doing my best to live up this last season and spend as much time with these girls who have become my sisters.

LHU softball is now 25-4 and it feels extraordinary.  We are having so much fun playing together, we stay relaxed, laugh ALL of the time, and we play for each other... which I think is the key to our success.

We played Clarion on March 31^st and I'm just going to come right out and say it, our righty-turned-lefty slapper Julia Popovich was turned back around to hit from the right side for the FIRST TIME in 4 years, and her FIRST PITCH went sailing over the left field fence!  We are all so proud of her because she always said she was the only player in the line-up who didn't have a homerun, and she hit TWO that day!  Go Julia!

Tonight we are traveling to West Chester to stay over and play them tomorrow afternoon.  West Chester is actually the hometown to me and our center fielder Nancy O'Connor.  So tonight we are going to my house for dinner and we get the opportunity to spend time with some parents and friends who can make the trip.  I am very excited to play in my hometown, and I'm hoping that many of the people that Nancy and I know can make it to our game to support our team. 

On Wednesday, March 25, Lock Haven University held a talent show called "Haven's Got Talent".  This event was for all sports teams so show that they have other talents off the court, field, track, and pool.  All proceeds were donated to Make-A-Wish foundation and the night was a complete success.  Not only was it a success because of how much fun it was... LHU softball won MOST ENTERTAINING!!  The act that won most talented sang a song and they actually deserved most talented, but we'll take most entertaining!  Ilia, Roosa, Julia, Kirsten, Gut, and I performed a dance to a mix of songs, and might I say that we were AWESOME!  The other acts were very good, there were other dances, skits, and singers, but the Dugout Divas, (our stage name) took home the trophy and the title of most entertaining!

For the answer to the Trivia Question from last blog... Nancy O'Connor, Krystin Montoro, and I have been playing on the same softball team since we were 11.  All three of us played for the Chester County Lady Fireballs for our entire travel ball careers, and now we are spending our college years playing softball together as well! 

This past week has been jam packed with games and we still have two on Saturday and two on Sunday.  Our game schedule makes the time fly so we are holding on tight and enjoying the ride, not many people can say they get to play the game they love, with all the people they love, for the coaches they love.  It's a great recipe for success and we love every minute of it!

Sarah #22