Tuesday, May 19, 2009

So Long, Farewell...

Congratulations to our two seniors, Ruth Allanbrook and Michelle Zanni, on four wonderful years at Oberlin! We will miss their hard work, dedication, and friendship.






"Victory belongs to the most perservering." - Napleon Bonaparte







"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." - Muhammad Ali









"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose." - Dr. Seuss




Friday, May 15, 2009

All's Well That Ends Well

The season ended about - gosh, over three weeks ago already! The season started out great, but ended even better: we set many individual and career records (including most wins in a season), the indoor field house FINALLY got built (and looks amazing!), and lifelong friendships were formed through countless hours practicing and playing on the softball field, riding on the bus (or plane or train...), drinking chocolate milk, playing 500, listening to the warm-up mix over and over (and over and over...), and discovering the true meaning behind the Cavendish bowl. Here's the wrap-up of each player and how they made this the best season ever for OCSB:

Ruth (Sr, #10) - played in and started more games (132) than anyone in the history of the program; recorded 16 putouts against Allegheny; how did four years go so fast?
Michelle (Sr, #12) - broke most of our pitching records this year, including best season and career ERA; will leave behind her a legacy filled with passion, hard work, and cupcakes
Julia (Jr, #9) - set school records for doubles, RBI, and assists in a season...her 122 assists this season put her 11th all-time on the NCAA DIII list; won our team "Silver Slugger" award
Lauren (Jr, #14) - hit her first career home run this year off the eventual NCAC champion Hiram Terriers; one of our most versatile players, she played right, second, and DP for us
Kate (Jr, #11) - started off a monster 7th inning for us against Heidelberg with a one-out walk; she would later score the first of our five runs to give us the win
Sophie (Jr, #5) - won our team "Gold Glove" award for her amazing defense in center; had just one error all season long; completed two rare 6-8 putouts in the same game; tied for first place in the "half-gallon challenge"
Jen (Jr, #15) - won a much-deserved "Most Improved Player" award for her hard work throughout the year; she tripled her amount of wins from last year, struck out 40% more batters, and lowered her ERA by over two points
Katie (Fr, #3) - had a GREAT arm in left field and threw out several baserunners; perfect fielding percentage in conference games; Sophie's only real competition in the "half-gallon challenge"
Kristen (Fr, #8) - had the team's three longest hitting streaks (7, 6, and 5 game streaks); practices often had a "Kristen Tally," to see how many times she tripped or fell...thankfully, she always came out injury-free and laughing
Sam (Fr, #7) - despite a season-long shoulder injury that kept her from playing, she was a huge asset in the dugout, from reading signs and tracking pitches to warming up pitchers
Sara (Fr, #13) - selected to the All-NCAC team; won our team "Rookie of the Year" award; threw out more baserunners in the conference than any other catcher
Kristine (Fr, #6) - selected to the All-NCAC team; won our team "MVP" award; set school records in doubles, steals, runs, total bases, and at-bats in a season
Megan (Fr, #16) - got a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 4th against MIT and later scored to bring the lead to 8 and help win OCSB's first-ever run-rule game; had an incredible .333 batting average as a pinch hitter