- About
- |
- Schedules
- |
- Camps
- |
- Facilities
- |
- Directory
- |
- Visitor's Guide
- |
- Athletic Training
- |
- Aquatics
- |
- Resources
|
Softball Team Blog: 2009 Season
May 19th, 2009
Tori Hatt
We are the National Champions!!!!! It is still sinking in for us. This season has been quite the journey!!!! A couple weeks ago it all started with Regionals. After a tough week of finals and assignments we headed off to Mahwah, New Jersey for regionals. We were so excited because this is the first time in 10 years that a Messiah softball team had made it to the NCAA Tournament. On the way there we watched the movie Hardball, which turned out to be an inspiration for the team. Everyone kept saying, “Let's do it for G-baby.” Well, we did! We won Regionals and made it to the College World Series! It was a team effort and we came out and dominated. Way to go girls, I am so proud of each and everyone of you!!! “United we stand, Tori Hatt
Lindsay Hall
Let me just cut to the chase...WE WON THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!! I think I speak for every single person on the team when I say that Saturday's win over Widner has been the highlight of our season so far : ) We still have a lot more ball to play and I can't wait to see what is in store for this team as we leave for regionals on Wednesday. Leaving on Wednesday means that we will be missing the first few days of finals. I don't mind taking finals early this year because we are going to regionals and that is just so cool to me! I have to keep pinching myself because this is really happening! We set goals at the beginning of the season and so far we have accomplished the biggies. Those were to win 30 games and to win the conference championship and compete well in the NCAA national tournament. We have to keep adjusting our win total to higher and higher numbers because we want to challenge ourselves even more. The great thing about setting goals is once you reach them, you can set new ones! In all honesty I don't think there is another team out there who wants this as bad as we do. We have been through so much this season and we truly are a family. It is scary to see members of your family get hurt much like Jess and Roo did last week. The good news is they are back and ready to go which makes every single member of this team even more excited because it isn't the same when people you care about are hurting and can't play. We are excited to play this week and thanks to all who come out and support us!!!! We love our fans! Lindsay Hall
Lauren Seneca
Earlier in the week we continued our practicing as we geared up for our last few games of the regular season. On Thursday, our team participated in Service Day at Messiah. We served at Messiah Village, where we weeded, washed cars and emptied trash. It turned out to be a fun day. After working there, we headed back to Messiah for our last practice of the week before facing York College. Friday we traveled to York where we took both games to put us at 30-4. They were both very intense and close games, but we played as a team and came out successful. Then on Saturday we traveled to our rivals, Elizabethtown, for our last showdown with a conference team. It was extremely hot, but we overcame the weather and played hard. Our two victories allowed us to finish our regular season at 32-4! To celebrate our team and all the hard work we had a team picnic at Coach Thuma’s house with our families. It was a great time of fellowship and relaxation (and of course amazing food) before heading back to campus. Overall, this past week was a very successful and exciting week for Messiah Softball. At the beginning of the year our team set a goal to win 30 games this season. Not only did we reach that goal, but we surpassed it. We finished our regular season at 32-4! What an accomplishment! We look forward to the “new season” ahead as we begin MAC Playoffs at Messiah on Friday as the #1 seed! We are so thankful for all the support we have had this season from our families, friends, and communities! We look forward to seeing you all there Friday! Lauren Seneca
Nicole Adams
We didn't get to play very much in the last week, but the games we did play were our biggest conference games yet! What to say about our latest games against LVC?? We won!!! OH YEA!!!!! Looking good ladies! Keep it up! We had been practicing and preparing to be warriors for our battle against LVC all week. Finally we got to show the Dutchmen..or should I say Dutchladies what we are all about! We got pretty pumped on the traditional walk down to our battle field with one thing on our mind. Victory. The games were very intense but we just played the games like we have been all season long. We played our game, in OUR HOUSE! After 2 vicious battles we pulled out two wins and they sure felt good! Now we just need to keep looking to the future and prepare for the next battle, Dickinson! Messiah vs. the Devils! As for school and other activities, our team has been very busy in the classroom. When we are are not getting dirty on the field, we are working really hard in the classroom. With a schedule full of practice, games, team hangouts, and the semester coming to a close, we are working hard at all ends! As a team we are working really hard to see some great results in many areas. Great things are coming our way and as far as the Falcons are concerned our Warrior Battle has just begun! Nicole Adams April 13th, 2009 
Tiffany Stokes
This past week we started Monday with practice to prepare for Tuesday's game against Widener. We talked about keeping up our intensity and taking all games seriously, one game at a time. Despite the few snow squalls, we came out hard winning 3-0. In game 2, after a few errors and unearned runs we got ourselves into a hole. At one point we were down 5-0 and our team was challenged. We tried pumping ourselves up as warriors, using our thunder and loud voices and before you knew it, we began to get back in it. Jacki and Jess R. both hit homers sending our team's hopes on an uproar and putting us ahead by one! Our confidence was now back in action! After that close call, we learned a lot about the depth of our team and our abilities to use our offense when the D isn’t quite working for us. This is what I love about our team! Wednesday's practice was quite productive. We started by talking a little bit about what went wrong and right in the games against Widener, and how we can fix them. We then began practice as normal with throwing and drills, but then worked on hard plays. This is when we got down and dirty. Later in practice we started a new drill with batting, which was a little different for most of us to get the hang of, but definitely fun! At Thursday’s game we all needed to focus because break was so close we could taste it! We faced McDaniel College winning 2-0 in the first game and 10-2 in the sixth inning of the second game. We played great on Thursday. Abby Bergakker had a couple of doubles and in the second game Hughy knocked in the last runs needed to clench the mercy rule ending the second game. Nic jacked a nice homer in that game also. Our bats were on FIRE =) Tiffany Stokes
Rebecca Stackhouse
Finally we had our first home game! I was very excited to play with our nice, new fence. It is so pretty and makes our field legit. We had a good warm up but unfortunately experienced a painful loss. We had some good hits from a few people, but for the most part could not string our hits together to get some runs. We had to get our act together and stay up to get the second game. Megan Rice pitched well in the second game and we were able to get some hits and capitalize on some of Gettysburg’s mistakes. Rebecca Stackhouse
Lauren Seneca
We arrived back from Florida last Saturday. Coming back from Florida to cold Pennsylvanian weather was quite difficult. Spending so much time in the sun and warm weather made me forget that it was still winter back home, but we made the transition. Lauren Seneca 
Megan Rice
This past week we went on our spring break trip to Florida! It was crammed pack with Florida sun, practices and lots of games. We flew in last Friday and took a team trip to go grocery shopping for our condos. When we arrived at our condos, we went for a run around the complex we were staying. The next day though, we woke up bright and early to begin our practice before an intense week of games. We had practice on the weekend and were able to see the infamous Dr. Dot Richardson and take a team picture with her! We worked out at the National Training Center after our practice and then had the rest of the day off. Coach Alex held devos that night and afterwards we drove to the fields to watch the space shuttle take off! Megan Rice 
Jessica Rhoads
We have started the season off great!!! Friday night we played Hood College and kept our shutouts going!! Scores were 6-0 and 9-0. Amy Bowie and Jacki Merkel hit really well, both hitting home runs to keep our spirits up and our bats alive. Megan Rice threw a three hitter the second game giving us our fourth win and fourth shutout!! Jessica Rhoads 
Jacki Merkel
Finally we left cold and snowy Pennsylvania for warm and sunny Florida. Our trip began with an early wake up and an hour and forty five minute drive as we headed to BWI airport. Check in and security were perfectly fine and we had plenty of time to hang out, eat, and study as we waited for our flight to board. As we waited everyone tried to calm Ashley down because this was her first airplane flight and needless to say she was nervous and scared out of her mind. The turbulent take off did not help matters, it just made her grip the arm rests even harder. After the take off it was smooth sailing and we landed in Florida with temperatures in the 80s. We were all very excited to get there because we no longer had to wear heavy coats and clogs but shorts and flip flops! We waited and waited outside for our rental cars which wasn’t pleasant but it wasn’t horrible and we headed to the Holiday Inn Express in Orlando. Upon arrival we were surprised by the announcement that we would be running for twenty minutes so be ready in five. We expected a good dinner at the local grill Big Kahunas on the resort but that didn’t go so well. We got there around 6:45 and didn’t leave until 8:oo. Not only did it take an hour to get drinks but it took about an hour and a half to get food and Abi didn’t even get the food she ordered. We were glad to get out of there and back to our rooms but we had this great idea of checking out the hot tub which let me say was a very bad idea. Jacki Merkel 
Ashley Lehman
I can’t believe we will be in Florida this Friday! I think I speak for the entire team when I say that I’m sick of being in the freezing cold windy weather here and that I can’t wait to get in sunny hot Florida. I’m a little nervous because I’ve never been on a plane before, but I’m sure my teammates will do a good job of calming me down. This week everyone is cramming homework and studying in since we will miss classes Monday and Friday. Over the past couple weeks we have had a couple practices outside, which was exciting because there are only a limited number of things we can do in the gym. It gets pretty repetitive. Practicing outside not only puts us in a more realistic game setting, but it helps us with our communication as well. We got to scrimmage a lot in the past few weeks and we practiced our pre-game routine. We had our first team devo/team function night on Friday. We started with singing some songs and telling inspirational stories, and ended with some team games. We had a blast playing Mafia, Mad Gab, and the famous Sheepbong. Even the coaches got involved in the excitement. It seems like it was just yesterday we were playing at our fall tournament, and already we have our first official games of the spring season on Monday. I can’t wait to finally play and see how all of our practice, conditioning, and hard work of the winter will finally pay off! Ashley Lehman 
Tori Hatt
This week was crazy busy, filled with softball activities! After a long week of practice in the gym we finished off the week with a marathon weekend. Friday night we held our second to last pitching clinic, this is always a good time to reach out to the young girls of the community. On Saturday we all got bundled up and excited for the high ropes course at messiah. We had a great time getting to know each other a little bit better through this scary experience! (See a photo gallery here!) Despite some fears everyone completed the course and agreed that it was a lot of fun! Even Coach Weaver got up and went down the zip line! I feel like our team chemistry has grown through the two ropes courses and I am looking forward to seeing how far this closeness will take us! The following day we conducted our annual winter skills clinic. This is always a great opportunity to teach the girls in the surrounding communities some softball skills as well as being positive role models for them. We had a great time getting to know them and hopefully helped to improve them as softball players. Again this is an awesome time for us as a team to bond and hang out, and everyone did a great job! This week we have enjoyed some practice time outside due to the warm weather. It is always nice to get out and practice in our actual game environment. One more week until our first game, I can sense that everyone is getting anxious and excited! Tori Hatt 
Jess Hughes
As all of us are starting to wind-down and get ready for the end of, what seemed to be, a very long J-term, we are now beginning what I know will be a great softball season. Though, this end of January break is well-deserved by everyone; J-term has taken its toll on some of us. Having a class for three or four hours a day is one long class. We had our first official practice with all of the coaches yesterday, and it was great! I think everyone was excited to go to practice and have something other to do than sprint around the track! Everyone has been working extremely hard these past few weeks conditioning and getting ready for the season. I know everyone, myself included, was excited to finally begin our softball season. Our hard work during the off-season is finally going to pay off as we start practices! It was a little crazy yesterday, with practice starting at 3:45 because some people have class until 4; but eventually we got everyone together and Coach gave us a start-of-the-season pep talk; then we got down to business. Fielding, batting, and then more fielding and batting. It’s tough to do all the things that we did in the fall here in the gym, but we made do with what we had. By the end of practice in the gym, the baseball team was lined up outside the door waiting to get in, so we all had to hurry and get everything cleaned up. Coach then talked to us again outside of the gym and went through some things that we needed to know for the upcoming season. Then we worked out for twenty minutes upstairs on the track, so we can keep up with all our conditioning. All in all, it was a very exciting first day, and I cannot wait for the rest of this season! I know everyone is dedicated to making this team as good as it can be, and I believe that we are going to have a lot of fun along the way! Jess Hughes
Lindsay Hall
It is hard to believe that just over two weeks ago I was home with my family celebrating Christmas! I think everyone on campus would agree with me that this past winter break was very short, but it has been good to back on campus! A lot of friends who were abroad last semester are back, and a lot of friends are now overseas. While some people are enjoying the sunny beaches of Costa Rica or hanging out in Ghana's remote villages, our team is here in chilly Grantham gearing up for this up-coming season. I must say, I am extremely excited about what is ahead for this team. The amount of talent is overwhelming and I believe that you all are in for a real treat if you can come watch us play! We are now going through what we like to call "J-term" which is a time to take one class for three to four hours a day for three straight weeks. While it is demanding, I find it rather relaxing because I only have to do homework for one class! This week we are conditioning. I am anticipating to run a lot, lift a lot, and play a lot of water polo over the next few weeks! I know that these next few weeks are going to be tough physically but I am confident that it will prepare us for our season. We are excited for our season to start in less than two weeks!!!!! Lindsay Hall 
Rebekkah Funk
Christmas break is finally here!! It’s been a long couple of weeks as everyone was feverishly tying up loose ends and finishing out the semester. We haven’t been together as a team too often. For now, we workout individually and prepare for J-Term and the start of the spring season. The past two weeks we’ve had less workouts so that we could begin to get it all together for the crazy and intense week that was finals. The time that we did spend together as a team was at the annual Christmas party that was held at Coach Sam’s house!! It was a lot of fun to get together in the spirit of Christmas and just enjoy each other’s company! We ate some delicious food courtesy of Coach Sam’s wife, mother-in-law, and Coach Alex’s wife. After lunch, Coach Weaver divided us into teams and we played games to get us into the Christmas spirit. The first game was Christmas movie trivia. My group that consisted of Nicole, Roo, Abi Buchler, our new manager Gabby and I didn’t fare so well in that game! I think we only got six out of 12 answers right L However we made a huge comeback and won the second game which was Christmas Carol Pictionary. We had some pretty good artists on our side! Of course, everyone awaited the Christmas gifts we love to give each other. I personally got the sunglasses, the ones that have flip-up lenses which I’m VERY excited about! As soon as we got back from Coach Sam’s house, it was time to study, study, study! I spent the majority of the rest of the week studying with slight breaks to stare out the window at the beautiful winter weather we got and to eat pancakes in Lottie and 10 p.m.! I think all my studying definitely payed off and I’m excited for Christmas break!! Rebekkah Funk 
"Roo" Eby
The team has done a lot of things since our last recruit was here. We continue to do our agility workouts and lift together as a team. On Wednesday those of us that can practice outside but it only lasts for about an hour because it gets dark before five o’clock in good old Grantham. Corinn "Roo" Eby 
Abi Buchler
These past three weeks since Homecoming have been packed with off-season workouts, floor hockey, marshmallows and hiking! It's hard to believe it's already November and Thanksgiving is only a little over two weeks away! Since fall season is officially over, we are doing some off-season workouts. We have something to do basically every day and I know all our hard work will pay off in the spring. We still meet as a team sometimes to do agility and play. Luckily, we've had beautiful weather in the past few weeks and have been able to get out in short sleeves on some days. Now that it's November, the adjustment period is basically over for all of us freshmen ... or should I say first-years? Anyways, I know I've gotten much better at managing my time and homework. Inevitably, I'll still have a few late nights finishing up Calculus or an essay! But college isn't all work and softball; we have also started rec floor hockey team! There are two softball teams playing floor hockey and both are very good. I play for the Wildcats (reference to High School Musical!) and the other team is the Dreamy Weavers. Our last regular season game is against each other so it should be a great game and I can't wait to see the outcome! Last weekend was the Messiah men's soccer game against Elizabethtown. This game between rivals has earned the nickname of the Marshmallow Bowl. Apparently marshmallows are banned from the stadium because everyone that entered was searched for them. I assumed that not many people would be able to sneak them in, but I realized how wrong I was after we scored our first goal. Marshmallows were everywhere in the stands, the air, and the field! It was really entertaining to watch and be a part of. I can't wait for future contests between us and E-town! This past weekend the whole team got together to go over our goals for this season and to talk about what we are able to achieve together. The team has so much potential and I know it's going to be a great season! We spent all of Friday night together and started it off by meeting at the Fishbowl to go hiking at White Rock. I was really excited because I had never been hiking before. Almost everyone on the team was surprised until I explained that Delaware doesn't have any mountains, or even hills for that matter! It was a short hike to the top and the view was breathtaking! It was so beautiful and everyone took lots of pictures. Lindsay then led us in a devotion and we talked about all we can do this year as a team and what we will focus on. It was just a great experience to have together as a team. Later that night, we played capture the flag and a few get to know you games. They were a lot of fun and got me so much more excited for the season! I can't wait until we start games, but that's still a long way off. For now I'll just focus on making it to Thanksgiving and a well deserved break! Abi Buchler 
Jessica Brown
This past week was our last of official practices and we sure ended on a great note! Even though our fall season was coming to an end everyone was still working hard to improve on their skills and make last minute adjustments heading into the winter off-season. Even though we don’t have any official practices or games in the winter, we’ll still be working hard on our conditioning and keeping our focus on the spring season. I know we have an awesome team this year and I’m so excited to see what we can accomplish! On Friday, our final day of practice, another group of four recruits came to check out the campus and the team. After practice, we had dinner and about half of the team took the recruits to the Colliseum where they had a lot of fun bowling! The other half of the team danced the night away at the Homecoming dance. After the dance, the whole team and the recruits met at the Union for some team bonding and ice cream. I think all of us had a great night just hanging out and enjoying our homecoming weekend. On Saturday morning we were up bright and early for our skills clinic and Alumni game. We went into the game knowing that it would be a fun day of seeing family and old friends from the team, but we also knew that it was the last time for a while that we would have a chance to work on game situations, so we had to take it seriously. Our team ended up winning the game, and it was finished off with Amy Bowie’s homerun over the fence! Many of the players got to visit with their families that were there to watch the game, and a delicious lunch concluded the afternoon. It was an awesome homecoming weekend for all of us on the team and a great way to end this Fall softball season! I hope this is a sign of what is to come in the Spring! Jessica Brown 
Amy Bowie
What a week! From classes and exams to practice and games, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I’m exhausted! However, despite everyone’s very busy schedules, I think this is one of the best week’s we’ve had all fall. The beginning of the week was fairly normal, with our practices on Monday and Wednesday, and the ever-entertaining Icebox agility workout. Practice has really paid off this year, as even though we are all battling injuries and fatigue, it is quite evident that everyone has improved their softball abilities as well as come together as a well-functioning unit. After a much-needed day off on Thursday, we came together on Friday for a final practice before the fall tournament. Friday night was filled with fun and team-bonding as we traveled to the Rhoads household. After a wonderful meal (and amazing cookies!), we spent a few hours learning about trust, leadership, and communication through games and activities. Coach even organized a scavenger hunt for us; groups of us drove around frantically trying to collect items from a list, pulling up cornstalks and grabbing Rubik’s cubes all while trying to get back and sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” before time ran out. Overall it was a great night—many thanks to the Rhoads family for opening your home to us! Everyone was very excited to pile into the van Saturday morning, even though it was very early. In my opinion, we came out strong and made a powerful statement in all three games, consistently generating sound defense and dominant offensive efforts. We were able to score ten runs against each team we played, and every single player was able to contribute in some way to our outstanding performance. This tournament not only gave us an opportunity to learn from game-situations that simply cannot be simulated in practice, but gave us a fantastic preview of what our team is capable of accomplishing. I could not have asked for a better way to finish my final fall season, and I am extremely excited to be a part of the powerful force this team will be next spring!! A special thanks to all the family and friends who made it out to Westminster to support us, as well as the parents who generously provided us with lunch and snacks! Amy Bowie 
Abby Bergakker
The team has been very busy the past couple weeks practicing three days a week, doing agility workouts, doing homework, and even working at Hershey Park! Last weekend we were able to have some team bonding time with five recruits for next season. After practice we all had dinner together in Lottie and then headed to the Sports Emporium for laser tag and arcade games. The team had fun and I think we showed the recruits a good time as well. The next morning we held a pitching clinic as well as our fall skills clinic. Numbers were pretty low this year, but it gave us a good opportunity to work one on one with the girls who were there. While some of the team was working at the clinic, the rest of the girls were working at Hershey Park. During weekends in the fall we are all working a few shifts at Hershey Park as a fundraiser for our spring break trip to Florida. We work in various food stands around the park, and the one time I went so far I got pretty good at making salads. We’ve been working hard in practice and it is starting to show. It’s a little bit weird for me being back at it again, especially with all nine of the new players this year, but it’s also been fun. It’s definitely a new team dynamic from last year, but I’m very excited about the team and about this year. With all the new players Coach has been practicing almost everyone in different positions to figure out the best role for each player. We are now less than a week away from our fall games and I am very excited. I’m really interested to see how the team plays together as the new team of 2008-2009. We’ll definitely be working hard in practice this week to prepare for the games at McDaniel. I’m sure we’ll make a good showing, and hopefully be injury free for the weekend because I really don’t wanna end up in the hospital again! Abby Bergakker September 16th, 2008 
Nicole Adams
I can't believe we are actually here at school. Summer went by so fast. With classes starting, practices beginning and new people to meet, this week has been pretty hectic. As for school, my classes have been pretty normal. I have mostly major classes this semester so classes are interesting and I love them. Homework so far has gone great. I’ve been staying on top of all my homework and feel really accomplished. And for softball, practices have been amazing. We finally get to bring our team together with coaches, incoming and returning players. The team is awesome and from week one I can already tell we're going to be amazing. The chemistry is outstanding and the talent is ridiculous. I can’t wait until we get to play in the tourney at McDaniel, so we can really see how amazing our team will be this year. Every day practice gets better and better. We are getting to know each other and we're starting to gel and become in sync as a team. Great things are definitely coming our way! Nicole Adams |
