Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 26, 2015

To think that only eleven weeks ago we were leaving the snowy tundra of Cedarville with our entire spring season ahead of us seems hard to believe. Now, sixty-one games and eight road trips later, the weather is fifty degrees higher and our 2015 season is officially over. With bat bags now hung up in our garages and uniforms retired safely to the equipment room, only our softball tan lines remain as a constant reminder of all the softball we played this spring. It would be easy to devote this blog to some of the accomplishments our team has made on the field, but I think it would be more important to devote my final blog to the people behind the scenes who made this season so great.

Last year, when this time of the season rolled around, I decided to devote my final blog to our "unsung heroes"- people who didn’t receive much recognition for their hard work but who played immensely influential roles on our team. While bus-driver Norris and team-manager Erin are still very much heroes for our team, I want to introduce you to a few other people who have impacted our team this year.

From liking every post on our Cedarville Softball Facebook page to constantly encouraging us when we pass her in the school cafeteria, Cathy Saunders has been our biggest cheerleader and supporter this season. Whether it be our season-opener in Florida or our national tournament in Virginia, no trip is too far for Cathy to make to come cheer us on. Fortunately, during our week in Florida, I had the pleasure of riding in Cathy’s van to and from games each day. During this time, she not only prayed with us and encouraged us spiritually, but she asked us to open up about our spiritual life and share what we were learning throughout the week. She fostered a new "pre-game" attitude in all of us in her van (reminding us what was truly important), which carried over to our entire season. I am so thankful for the friendship each of us on the team has built with Cathy, and I know her encouragement and support for each of us will never be broken.

Without sounding too boastful, I can confidently say that we have one of the nicest softball facilities, not only in our conference, but also in NCAA DII. All of the credit belongs in our field crew’s expert hands. As one of the only field-crews in softball to drag the infield in-between games of a double header (let alone dragging it before we take infield ground balls AND sometimes even after), they devote hours of their day just to accommodate us. Our green, freshly cut grass and perfectly watered infield make teams long to travel to us to play on our pristine field. Our beloved field-crew deserves so much credit for all the hours they have put into our small field.

Finally, our fans in the bleachers deserve some love for the hours they’ve spent rooting us on, be it in the rain, sun, or even the snow. Professor Ritchie (a business professor at Cedarville) could count on one hand the number of home games she missed this spring. Her love for her students went well beyond the classroom, and I was so thankful for the dedication and support she showed my teammates and I this spring. Each of our players’ parents made it to at least one game this spring to root their child on, and most made the outing multiple times. From lacing up our cleats when we were still in tee ball to buying us the new bat or glove we just couldn’t live without, our parents have supported us through our softball careers in ways no one else could have. The road to playing college softball is long and hard, filled with sacrificed weekends dedicated to traveling to tournaments and plenty of expensive equipment. However, our parents made the sacrifice time and time again to get us to this point, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all they have done to support this dream of ours. Parents, thank you for loving us and giving us the resources and support we needed to keep playing the game we love. Without you, we could not have done it - and there would be no blog for me to write today.

As I look back on our season, I can’t help but smile at some of the memories we’ve made that will last me the rest of my life. From rowdy dinners at Red Robin to intense sand volleyball matches to selfies with Elyssa’s selfie-stick at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel, I’m thankful for all the memories my teammates have blessed me with. While I will be passing on the baton to someone new to continue our Lady Jacket Softball Blog next year, I hope you continue to support the team in the years to come as we continue on this climb. Thank you for following my blog this season and bearing with me even through my most mundane posts where weather seems to be the most exciting thing to discuss. Have a great summer and be sure to follow along come March when we hit the fields yet again!

Until next time...Sting it!!


May 11, 2015

And we’re on the road again! After a restful week filled with good food, friends, and family, we loaded up our bus Monday morning and are now headed for Troutville, Virginia for the NCCAA Nationals. The hectic week ahead of us will contrast pretty sharply with the relaxing one we just finished. For many of the girls on our team, this will be their last chance to lace up their cleats and step on the field, so we are expecting to finish strong with a bang (preferably as national champions).

When we traveled to Florida at the beginning of the season, Cathy (a local employee in Cedarville) made the trip with us to help out our team during the week. Since then, she has proven to be our team’s biggest fan and supporter. It is extremely rare that we play on our home field and don’t see her smiling face in the bleachers for at least a few innings. Fortunately for us, her generosity extended well past the week in Florida. On Wednesday night, she graciously hosted our entire team for a delicious meal of pulled pork, wings, fresh fruit and vegetables, and even a Cedarville softball cake. I know I speak for the entire team when I express how incredibly grateful I am for all that Cathy has done for our team this year, from cheering loud in our bleachers to traveling all the way to Virginia to watch us this coming week!!

After Wednesday’s delicious meal, we managed to snap out of our food-induced-coma and head out to the sand volleyball courts yet again. Fortunately, there are no injuries for me to report and Logan managed to avoid running headfirst into the net, so I’d say it was a pretty successful evening!

On Thursday, we practiced bright and early before the sun’s full force could be felt, and then had time to dress up before our annual end of the season banquet. We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (which many of us enjoyed the next day and even the day after that due to all our leftovers) before heading back to the University. We then watched a slide show Coach Ann had put together of pictures from our season, beginning all the way back in August when we ventured to the Dominican Republic for a missions trip and concluding with our NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. The coaches presented various awards to our players, and we ended the night with a team photo before many of us traveled home for the weekend.

Now, we are currently traveling southeast, stomachs full of Steak-N-Shake and destined for a late-night arrival in Virginia. Until our first pitch Wednesday at 12 noon, we will remain very busy with a service project and a banquet Tuesday night. Be sure to root us on this week as we try to return home with a national title!

Until next time…Sting it!!


May 7, 2015

Two tournaments, five finals, and a couple intense games of sand volleyball later, I’ve finally found a few spare minutes to write a blog about our hectic past week. Our week began with a lot of late-night studying and Red Bulls as we softball players had to cram a week’s worth of finals into three short days before our G-MAC Tournament. After acing all our finals (or more realistically, merely scraping by), we enjoyed a banquet at the Athletes in Action facility in Xenia to begin the G-MAC Tournament. The highlight of the night was listening to Leah O’Brien-Amico over Skype tell us about her experiences while playing softball for Team USA, where she earned three gold medals. She emphasized the importance of playing for God above self, which was refreshing to hear. We then enjoyed a magic show and a delicious dinner before heading home for a good night’s rest before our first day of tournament play!

While we set ourselves in a difficult position after losing our second game of the day, we battled back Friday to eventually make it to the championship and come in second to Trevecca. While the seniors couldn’t make it to their graduation Saturday, we made sure they had a proper ceremony of their own. Probably more fitting for them than wearing heels and dresses, they walked across the field in cleats, uniform, caps, and gowns. The weekend was then spent helping each other pack up and move to a new dorm for May. After finally settling in, we enjoyed some late-night sand volleyball before waking up on Monday to begin our NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. Yet again, we set ourselves in a difficult position right away after losing to Grace in our first game. Similarly to a few days before, we battled back to earn a second-place spot in our region after an 8-inning loss to Grace in the championship.

With a week of downtime left before the NCCAA National Tournament, plenty more games of sand volleyball are in store for our active team. I’ll be sure to keep you informed on Logan’s shenanigans on the court (hopefully her face avoids the net, unlike the last time we played in Florida).

Be sure to cheer us on next week and pray for safe travels as we travel down to Botetourt, Virginia on Monday morning!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Apr. 27, 2015

Two games and seven home runs later, our team might as well be writing the Cedarville record books. If it’s a record and it concerns home runs, bets are that our 2015 team’s name is on it. On Wednesday alone, we set the records for the most home runs in a game (FIVE against Urbana in the second game of our doubleheader), the most home runs in a season (21), and the most home runs by an individual in a season.

The "Bomb Squad" was led by Nicole Davis, with Danielle Wolgamot chasing right on her heels. Danielle hit her fifth home run of the season against Urbana, tying the previously set record of five in a season, only to be topped by Nicole during the same doubleheader when Nic sent THREE over the wall to tie and then break Danielle’s record. Nic then hit another long ball this weekend at Alderson Broaddus, bringing her total to SEVEN this season alone! One wouldn’t typically expect this kind of power from our small team (even our speedy bunting-pro Logan Eppich was part of Wednesday’s "Bomb Squad"!), but Coach Kim’s off-season lifts sure have given us the power to swing for the fences! Even I found myself swinging a little harder on Wednesday, and for those of you who know my game - you know that slap singles are more my style. Guess hitting the weight room hard really does pay off, eh?

The record breaking didn’t stop there, though. This weekend, Logan Eppich put her name in the books for most steals in a season plus our shortstop Jessica Palm has now played in more games than any other previous CU softball player. As if that isn’t enough, Cece Gummel and Courtnie Spain are both hot on the trail to set new records for most career wins and career strikeouts, respectively. Basically, this 2015 team should have it’s own record book - because we sure are making it hard for future teams to top us!

If you find all this "Bomb Squad" talk hard to believe (which it kind of is), then you should come check us out for yourself this week in our G-MAC Tournament. We are playing at the Athletes in Action (AIA) Complex in Xenia, and with a #2 seed we are prepared to go all the way to the ‘ship (before winning it, of course). Come cheer for us Thursday at 10:30 a.m. as we begin the journey to take our first conference championship!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Apr. 20, 2015

This past Saturday afternoon, you would be hard-pressed to find a dry eye at our field. As each of our four seniors was escorted around the bases by their families, it was both a bittersweet and exciting time to celebrate all they have accomplished during their four years at Cedarville. To begin with, these four ladies are part of the "winning-est" class Cedarville softball has ever had - currently with 120 wins (and counting) under their belts. They also represent career record-breakers, Dean’s List students, and overall just great people whom I am so grateful I had the chance to play with over the past two years.

After an exciting three-game conference series against Kentucky Wesleyan (of which we took two games), we took a few minutes to honor Jess Palm, Court Spain, Shann Muldowney, and Cece Gummel. As they walked around the base-path, they stopped at each base to receive gifts from the underclassmen. At first base, the freshman had signed softballs for the seniors. At second, the sophomores had scrapbooks filled with pictures and memories from each player. At third, the juniors had flowers and Chipotle (a road trip favorite) gift cards waiting for the seniors. Finally, at home plate, the coaches had their own gifts waiting for the four seniors. This was a special time for all in attendance, and I hope the seniors realized after Saturday how much they mean to all of us on the team and how much we will miss them next year!

While Saturday concluded our home regular season, we still have plenty of games left in the 2015 season. We are finishing off our regular season this week at Urbana (Wed.) and at Alderson Broaddus (Fri.-Sat.), and then plan on competing in both the G-MAC tourney (at AIA in nearby Xenia) and the NCCAA Midwest Regional tourney (which we will host!). This season has more than enough time left for our seniors to get more wins, be the victim of more pranks, and break more records all before getting their diplomas. Be sure to root us on during the next few hectic weeks!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Apr. 14, 2015

At 2:30 a.m. this past Sunday, while most of you faithful readers were tucked soundly into your beds, we Cedarville softball-ers were just pulling back into town after a long weekend full of softball, food, and fun in Nashville. After departing early Wednesday evening from Ohio, we played two close games against Trevecca on Thursday before feasting at Outback Steakhouse. We then had all day Friday off from softball to relax and enjoy the fun city of Nashville!

Our day began with a trip to the "Upper Room"- a chapel and Christian art museum located in the heart of Nashville. The focal point of the Upper Room was a life-size woodcarving of the Last Supper - which apparently was created by 50 people in over 14 months’ time. The chapel room in which the carving is displayed is actually modeled after the painting, from the ceiling, to the tapestry, to the altar table itself. We spent some time simply admiring the room and carving before looking at the Christian art on display in the museum section of the building.
 

After we left the Upper Room, we traveled to the Grand Ole Opry Hotel to spend a few hours walking around the indoor gardens and sightseeing. Thanks to Elyssa, the softball team gained a selfie-stick this trip and we had fun snapping selfies like the tourists we were while in the gorgeous building. Although Brooke and Logan left the hotel upset that they didn’t meet a country superstar, we all had a fun day exploring Nashville as a team.

On Saturday, we lost two more tight ball games before embarking on the long drive home. The rush hour traffic prompted a long dinner at Coach Rowe’s favorite place (Cracker Barrel), where we all enjoyed some home-cookin’ and candy to nibble on during the ride home. Once we finally arrived home (a few hours later than expected due to traffic), we all quickly unloaded the bus and fell straight to sleep.

We have a busy week ahead of us - including home games Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday! Be sure to stop by Saturday afternoon to support our four seniors in their final home games!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Apr. 8, 2015

Spring sports are crazy. There’s no other way to put it. Just ask the tennis or baseball teams - the whole "April showers bring May flowers" thing is not just a myth. Games and matches get rained out left and right, and we are constantly changing travel plans and locations for games. Take today (Wednesday, April 8) for example. We were supposed to leave at 10 a.m. to travel to Ursuline for a double header - instead, we may now leave later this afternoon to travel to Trevecca for a (very) extended weekend of softball starting on Thursday. Needless to say, nothing can be set in stone when you get the rain of the Midwest involved.

Fortunately, we were able to squeeze in eight games last week and avoid the mid-week rain. Even more fortunately, seven of those games ended as wins for us. Four of them actually ended after the fifth inning as run-rules in our favor!

Aside from the softball, many families (ranging from West Virginia to California) got to travel to Cedarville over Easter break to watch us play and spend time with their daughters, which was awesome to see. Most of us, including myself, got to travel home for a couple of days of rest and worship on Sunday and Monday. It was great to spend this time with family celebrating the resurrection of our King!

Keep checking the Cedarville Athletics website to be updated on when we actually are going to be playing this weekend. No matter when it is, root for us to continue winning like we can!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Mar. 30, 2015

I know what you’re thinking. We played a measly two games this week before being sidelined by the snow - how could I possibly have material for eight paragraphs on a week like this? Well, before you become intimidated by the 1,275 words in front of you and shut your laptop, bear with me and stick around long enough to learn about the four ladies who have carried this program for the past four years. As our schedule picks up rapidly (10 home games in the next 6 days - my definition of a full schedule), I figured this "down" week would be the perfect chance to introduce you faithful readers to our seniors and share some of their memories from their time wearing Jackets jerseys.

Shannon Muldowney, Courtnie Spain, Cece Gummel, and Jessica Palm are among the few and faithful who have played all four years of their college career on the Lady Jackets softball team. Originating from Orlando (FL), Fairborn (OH), Springfield (OH), and Crown Point (IN) respectively, these ladies come from all over - yet they all arrived at Cedarville University four years ago, unknowing of how much they would learn and grow over the next few years. Each of them has led our team in varying ways this year, from banging on buckets in the dugout to coming up with new cheers for the Cage to leading team devotions. However, there are a few goofier unknown facts about each of these girls that I think our fans should know to truly appreciate this eclectic group.

 

When I asked the four seniors to tell me about some of their favorite and least favorite road trips over the years, they unanimously began comparing the different food stops over the years (Jess’ advice to the players: "take advantage of the free meals while you can"). While Shannon prefers Cracker Barrel to Jess’ favorite of Chipotle, each of the four seniors agreed that "whippin’ around the hills of West Virginia" (Court’s words) would not be missed once they graduate (although our bus driver Norris does execute those windy turns masterfully). However, something that is missed (at least by Cece) is dancing up and down the charter bus aisle’s freshman year while serenading the coaches. Shannon, on the other hand, has taken a different sort of advantage of the bus’ aisles; her advice to us underclassmen this year was to sleep on the floor when in desperate need of sleep during late night drives home. I witnessed her last year grab her smiling bee pillow pet and curl up in between pieces of dirt and sandwich crumbs. Sounds disgusting, but the floor really can work wonders when you’re exhausted (I tried last year and while my back did not thank me, my sleep cycle did).

Over the past two years, I’ve truly come to appreciate Shannon’s ability to laugh at her goofy self (everyone cracked up when she plopped down on the ground right before conditioning last year and sang about laying down and forgetting the world). Well, her goofy self was highlighted for all to see a couple years ago at a MAJOR school event. The seniors have had the privilege of participating in Moonlight Madness (a late-night tailgate and pep rally for the basketball team) a handful of times. A few years ago, Shannon participated in an event requiring a lot of spinning (did I mention this is a MAJOR school event?). Due to the excessive spinning, Shannon quickly became dizzy and actually fell down in front of the majority of the Cedarville student body. Unfortunately, her underwear was showing and most of her friends won’t let her live down that shining moment to this day. Thankfully, Shannon’s one of the few people I know who could handle pretty much anything life throws at her with grace and a smiling face even bigger than her pillow pet’s.

Court, one of our two senior pitchers, has had her share of embarrassing moments, as well. Like Shannon, she has a remarkable ability to find joy in every situation while staying driven and focused. I know first-hand that being hit by one of Court’s blazing-fast pitches is an experience you’re not likely to forget soon (mainly because of the nasty bruise you’re sure to gain). Unfortunately, Coach Rowe knows this as well. Last year, we were working on fielding bunts during practice by having our pitchers pitch live to Coach Rowe laying down the bunts. Even though the pitchers were supposed to be pitching down the middle of the plate, Court (in her own words) was a "wild little pitcher" back in the day and accidentally nailed Coach Rowe straight on his leg on the first pitch. Flustered, Coach Rowe yelled at her to simply pitch it straight down the middle of the plate. However, what did Court do the very next pitch? Hit un-expecting Coach right in the arm. By this point, it was almost comical that he had been hit twice in a row. Court was laughing so hard that her third pitch hit him right in his belly. Now furious, Coach Rowe sat her out the rest of the drill while he nursed his fresh injuries. The next day, he showed up to practice on crutches while wearing a sling, telling the whole team of his day spent in the emergency room because of Court’s wild pitches. Needless to say, this was just another prank to add to his list - but Court didn’t realize that until hours later.

Along the same lines, Cece’s advice to our team is to NEVER stop messing with Wes. In her words: The prank war MUST be kept alive!! If you must know one thing about our softball team, it’s this: pranks are a daily occurrence and absolutely no one is safe. For example, Cece once put on a full-body penguin costume (why in the world she has a full-body penguin suit, I will never know) and ding-dong ditched Coach Rowe for hours (along with Katie W. in her sheep costume) until finally he chased both of them down the street. Cece learned the hard way that he runs exceptionally fast. Advice Cece has given to me over the past two years has always centered on having fun and enjoying the special moments and friendships God will bless you with while at Cedarville.

Jessica Palm, towering at 5-11, intimidated little 5-2 me from the day I met her. Determined, focused, and intense, she’s got all our opponents trembling in their cleats. What most people don’t know about her, though, is that she’s comparable to a warm and fuzzy teddy bear on the inside. When someone slides into me at second base, she’s the first to rush over and make sure that I’m ok. When my cleat lace or glove-string breaks (plural because both happen often), she’s the one I go to for help. Don’t let her focused face trick you - Jess is one of the most sweet and caring girls I know.

Whether it comes to firing bullets from short (Jess), to pitching strikeout after strikeout (both Court and Cece), to stopping hard liners at third (Shann), all four of the seniors have been stand outs on the field over the past four years. What most spectators like yourself don’t get to see are the loving, God-fearing, silly, crazy, and strong women of God that I have gotten to know over the past two years. I am beyond thankful for the influence each of these four girls has had on me, and cannot wait to see the amazing things they will accomplish with the rest of their lives. I love you guys!


Mar. 24, 2015

While our first road trip did not go quite as planned, it was certainly a good week for the Lady Jackets. We arrived to load our West Virginia-bound bus early Thursday morning, prepared for three days of traveling and softball. Although the rainstorms at Ohio Valley acted as a speed bump for our travel plans (sending us home two nights early), they did not "rain" on our parade (cheesy, I know), and we ended our week with five more wins under our belts!

We did travel to West Liberty on Thursday to win two nail-biters (one an extra-inning thriller), but the anticipated rain sent us home that night and brought Ohio Valley to us to play three over the weekend. Thanks to the baseball team, our field was quickly covered before the rain hit early Friday morning - and then, much to our surprise, the very kind baseball team was also quick to take the tarp off so we would be ready to play a few hours later! Three wins later, we now have an 11-11 record with a five-game winning streak. In typical Cedarville softball fashion, we played our best once our backs were against the wall. After losing both games by one run in our home opener on Tuesday, we had cornered ourselves into a hard-pressed situation. Honestly, there was no further room to retreat - and we knew as a team we had to start fighting back because there was nowhere left to go. Fortunately, just as we proved we were capable of doing last year, we battled back and came out ahead this week. This team is proving to be one who, while unpredictable, is always slow to give up. We all understand that it’s not about how we started, but about how we finish.

A few of us finished this week by meeting with some of the girls from the local high school softball team. After devouring some pizza and ice cream, we enjoyed games and fellowship in a dorm lounge. Nicole Davis organized this informal group (called the "Softball Sisters") and our plan is to pair up with one of the younger girls and meet weekly to serve as a mentor/friend/sister to them. I’m excited to see how the lessons we’ve been learning on and off the field this year (lessons as simple as learning to never give up or to play solely for an Audience of One) can be encouragements to these young players. Pray for us as we embark on this journey with them!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Mar. 17, 2015

Bad news: our first week back in Cedarville has consisted of rain, rain, and more rain since you’ve heard from me last. Good news: the torrential downpours we endured over the past week are sure to melt away the remaining frost on our field so that we can hopefully have our home opener on Tuesday!

Thanks to the gloomy weather, we’ve had plenty of time indoors to catch up on all the assignments and projects we promised ourselves we would do in Florida (clearly sunny and 75 doesn’t bode well with Accounting homework, as my uncrossed to-do list from last week shows me). We also had plenty of time to throw, hit, lift, and scrimmage indoors this week to make sure our game is still sharp once we are finally able to lace up our cleats again!

We also had the chance to meet together Friday night to cheer on the Lady Jacket’s basketball team (while eating pizza and drinking Coach Rowe’s famous milkshakes) as they competed in the NCAA DII tournament. While they didn’t come out with the W, it was still awesome to see how far their hard work and drive took them this season. They set a great precedent for all Jacket teams to follow, specifically our own. Making the NCAA tournament is an ultimate goal for our team - and seeing that it is possible from one of our own women’s teams was such an encouragement. Hopefully we can continue the success they had in the winter over to our season this spring!

We have a long week ahead of us, starting with our home opener Tuesday at 3 and 5 PM against Findlay. Come out and see our "Cage" in action - complete with cheers straight from the Dominican Republic. Next, on Thursday morning, we will load a bus full of Disney movies to play six games in West Virginia over three days.

I’ll be sure to keep you filled in on all the pranks that will be pulled once this crazy team spends so much time together on the road!

Until next time…Sting it!!


Mar. 10, 2015

As I predicted in my last blog post, our team quickly turned our playing around and promptly won four straight games to close out our Florida record at 6-9. Thanks to the multiple homers from slugger Danielle Wolgamot, RBI’s from Jess Palm and Brianne O’Dell, and strikeouts from freshie pitcher Emily Cornish, our team finally seems to be clicking and producing when we need to. Considering our slow start, we definitely bounced back and are certainly prepared to continue winning in the Midwest. Now, it’s only up to the weather to cooperate!

The remainder of our week in Florida was filled with more pranks, games of sand volleyball, and good food. On Thursday night, the Farrer family generously made enough ribs and pork to feed each of our hungry selves five times over. To compensate, we hit the sand volleyball courts once again to work off our stuffed stomachs. The "Sand Queens" dominated easily once again, primarily because we managed to rig the system yet again to get each of the girls who played volleyball in high school (plus me…still not sure how I managed to trick them into accepting me and my failed attempts at blocking onto their team). Throughout the game, crazy freshman Logan Eppich continually hit the ball far past the courts onto the surrounding parking lots, trees, and fields - so eventually we forced her to chase after each of her failed hits. As she was running to get the ball from the parking lot on the opposite side of the net, she somehow forgot to duck under the volleyball net and, with a mouth wide open, bounced off the net face first to land on her back in the sand. We each immediately hit the ground, not even attempting to hold back our laughter. Poor Logan has no idea that she won’t be able to escape that story for her next four years on this team.

The best prank of the week occurred when trickster Nikki Eigsti thought it would be a good idea to use a pool-side dinner as the perfect opportunity to push Coach Kim into the pool. Little did she know that her fellow teammates saw this as the perfect opportunity to turn her own prank onto herself. As Nikki came up with the plan to throw Coach Kim into the pool while taking a team photo, we subtly agreed to use this opportunity to throw Nikki herself in. Needless to say, our prank went off without a hitch and Nikki was thrown in as easily as a rag doll.

At 3:12 a.m. Sunday morning, we arrived back to the frozen tundra of Cedarville, Ohio. The sunny weather of Clermont was gravely missed, especially by me when wiping out on a sneaky patch of ice while walking back to my dorm, three full bags of clothes and equipment in tow. It will certainly take some time to adjust back to wearing three layers of clothes and walking carefully to avoid spills like the one I just had. I’m already counting down the days until we arrive back in Florida next February.

We are scheduled to play at home this Saturday, so pray that the snow melts and rain withholds to let us gain two more wins! I look forward to seeing you at our games this spring!!

Until next time….Sting it!


Mar. 3, 2015

Each time that I peek into the inside of my wristband, Philippians 3:13-14 speaks to me: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Just like in life, a softball season is a marathon, not a sprint. This fact is one that our team will have to keep in mind as our season progresses. After arriving in Florida, we were in for a rude awakening Friday morning after Felician quickly delivered a 16-2 blow to our jet-lagged team. Since then, it has seemed that our team is definitely climbing an uphill battle.

While we currently have two wins and five losses, I believe our team is steadily climbing upwards. There are plenty of positives to reflect on, and I am 100% confident that our team will pull it together to deliver the Cedarville softball that our fans have grown to love. Although many of us have been tempted to hang our heads or become discouraged after these quick losses, the atmosphere in the dugout is nothing but contagious. Spectators all around the complex can hear our loud chants and bucket drums, and I would venture to say that the "Cage’s" momentum will propel us to many more wins in the coming days.

In between long days of softball, we have managed to squeeze in time for team bonding and fun. On Monday night, the Davis family welcomed us into their condo to enjoy as many tacos as our stomachs could hold. We also had fun playing sand volleyball after dinner. Fortunately, my team somehow rigged the system and managed to roster every girl who played volleyball in high school, so we enjoyed an easy win. However, a few of us were not so lucky afterwards when we were tossed in the pool fully clothed (I’m still bitter, Logan).

I look forward to being able to tell you about the exciting wins that will ensue before you hear from me next!! We are just beginning the marathon set out for us, and I know God has a plan for this team that will be executed perfectly for His glory.

Until next time…Sting it!!!


Feb. 26, 2015

The past six weeks have consisted of snow, snow, and more snow here in Cedarville, Ohio. Lacing up our cleats and playing softball under the sunny skies of Florida sounds absolutely amazing compared to trekking through snow while bundled up in layers of clothing just to get to our indoor practices. With a wind-chill far below zero degrees, we softball players have been anxiously awaiting the day we can finally trade in our winter coats and snow boots for short sleeves and metal cleats. Fortunately, the countdown finally comes to a close this Thursday! At 10 a.m., we will be departing the snow, destined for the sunny climate of Clermont, Florida. While there, we will play 16 games, many of which will be against NCAA DII teams from our region.

While there is much to look forward to as our season begins, there is still much to recap that has happened since we arrived on campus in August. To begin with, many of the returners on our team ventured to the Dominican Republic the week before classes started for a short-term mission trip. While there, we played the National team and the Junior National team a couple times each. It was incredible to witness the energy the Junior National team possessed. Hopefully, we will add some of their rowdy cheers to our Cage’s repertoire this spring (though probably not the Spanish cheer they made up about Coach Rowe that seemed to crack all of them up while we stood bewildered). We also got the chance to share the gospel and our testimonies with the members of the team, and it was amazing to see how receptive they were to the message we shared. The game of softball definitely served as a bridge to help us connect with these girls and coaches. We also spent time playing with children in the area’s sugar-cane villages, which was an emotional experience for all of us. As we would leave the villages, the children would chase after our bus as far as their little legs would take them, crying out for us to come back. I think many of us wish we could have just stayed and played with the kids for weeks.

After classes began, our off-season was filled with scrimmages against recruits, a World Series against each other (which was forced to end in a tie yet again because of rain), midnight practices, and plenty of indoor sprints. We ran hard, lifted hard, hit hard, threw hard, and overall worked hard this fall and winter - which we are banking on paying off in the coming weeks. Of course, we managed to fit a few fun and games into our intense preseason, much of which consisted of pranks from Coach Rowe (just ask Courtnie about the fake cake he baked for her), smoothies from Coach Kim, and time spent bonding while working in the concessions stand.

Please keep our team and coaches in your prayers as we travel to Florida and begin our grueling schedule! We only have eight days of softball to squeeze in 16 games, but I know our determined team can handle it! Thanks for following along with my blog again this year. I promise to keep you updated on all our amazing comebacks, unsung heroes, playful pranks, and silly bus rides.

Until next time…Sting it!!


Christina Kirkpatrick is a sophomore infielder/outfielder from Noblesville, Ind. She is in her second season with the Lady Jackets and is majoring in pre-law and business management.