Bringing Their A-Game

It wasn’t as if they weren’t trying. They truly were, and with all that they could muster. They were having fun, too. No doubt about that. But loss after loss after loss until their record reached 0-12? That was challenging. There was hope, though. Things just had to get better if they kept smiling, stayed focused and stuck together.

 

That was then – the spring of 2014 – for Collegiate’s varsity softball team.

 

Fast forward to now.

 

With a slate of five games over the next eight days, the Cougars stand 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the League of Independent Schools. In the last VISAA poll, they were ranked third in the state in the Division I.

 

“I’m so proud of how far we’ve come,” said Claire Andress, a senior captain and pitcher who was a 9th Grader on that team three years ago that finished 3-15. “When I think of how well we’re doing now, it’s like a reality check. Freshman year, I got frustrated when we weren’t winning, but the team chemistry was so strong and the coaches were so supportive.”

 

The 2014 season was Robby Turner’s fourth as head coach. In 2011, he inherited an experienced squad that finished 13-8 and followed with a 14-8 mark in 2012. Graduation took its toll, and the 2013 team went 8-11. Then came 2014.

 

“We lost some really good seniors and had to start from the beginning,” Turner said. “We had some young girls who are major contributors now, which we take great pride in, but basically they hadn’t played any softball. (In 2014), it seemed like every game that came up, we said, ‘We’ll get that first win Wednesday’ or ‘Can’t lose Thursday.’ It kept going on and on.”

 

On April 24 came the turning point, not just of the season but, perhaps, of Collegiate’s softball program. On that memorable day, the Cougars, sporting a 1-13 mark, defeated St. Catherine’s 17-7 in five innings. A month earlier, the Saints had prevailed 11-1.

 

“I look back, and I don’t know how it happened,” Turner said. “In softball, if you’re ahead by 10 after five innings, the game is over. Our team was so young that I really felt if we didn’t get that 10th run in the 5th, we could still lose.”

 

Instead, the victory was a huge confidence-builder and provided a solid foundation for the future, especially considering the youth of the roster.

 

“I was a freshman and really excited just to have made the team,” said Morgan Baxter, now a senior captain and first baseman. “I thought it was a big deal and really fun, although we didn’t get many wins. I look back on it with happy memories because we were all trying our hardest. It was basically a JV team playing at the varsity level. But we were out there for the right reasons.”

 

Collegiate’s 2015 team finished 11-10. It improved to 15-7 in 2016.

 

Through 15 games this season, the Cougars have a .384 team batting average. Four players are hitting over .400: junior centerfielder Claire Powell (.569), freshman second baseman Madison Flinchum (.434), sophomore catcher Bailey Andress (.431) and Baxter (.426). Other statistical leaders are Baxter (27 RBI), junior shortstop Avery Freeman (14 stolen bases), B. Andress (1.000 fielding percentage on 89 chances) and C. Andress (9-3 as a righthanded pitcher).

 

So what’s the magic?

 

Experience and maturity, of course. A blend of veterans and skilled up-and-comers. Good chemistry and strong leadership. Off-season commitment: “open gym” workouts and “travel ball” which enhance execution of fundamentals and make the speed of the game, especially the pitching, much more manageable. Perspective and attitude.

 

“The biggest thing,” said Turner, “and we talk about this all the time, is not just wanting to win but expecting to win. We talk about the difference between cockiness and expectations. A cocky team goes out and thinks they’re better than everybody. Our slogan is ‘Respect Everyone. Fear No One.’

 

“Our girls know they have to bring their A-game. They understand that we don’t have to be perfect, but if we go out and play our game and are aggressive, we can play with anybody. That’s the message we try to get across.”

       -- Weldon Bradshaw