The months of hard work finally paid off in our season opener at Saint Mary's last Friday, when we opened 2009 with a 5-3 victory.

The excitement leading up to that first game was incredible. The pep talk that Coach Horton gave to us before the game was very inspirational. He touched on the obvious nervous feelings that we all possessed on the bus.  It was palpable, but he addressed it in such a manner to convert any of our nerves into a more focused excitement.

Coach Horton instilled a feeling of appreciation and informed us of the significance of our first game. He made sure we all were aware that Duck fans would be so proud of the way we played that first day.

The anticipation of the first pitch was incredible. The main thing that Coach Horton reiterated was to just "bring your face" not your "game face" and to just "do what we do" and we would come out on top.

Ever since the first meeting with Coach Horton, he has always told us that it is okay to be nervous, but the key is to embrace any and all adversity. Our entire first year at the University of Oregon, including our first practice, and concluding with our last intrasquad scrimmage, it was all symbolized by that first pitch on Friday.

During the seventh inning, the announcer for Saint Mary's said over the loud speaker that the attendance record was set at Louis Guisto Field during our victory on Friday.

Although we came up short and lost the series, our continued improvement has me excited for things to come.