New Year

Hello All,

Well, it is the final day of 2011 and we are less than a month away from opening our softball season. I am looking forward to getting started. I know the athletes have been home for a while celebrating the holidays with their families and friends. It is a well deserved break for any college student, whether it's an emotional one from taking exams and studying or just giving their bodies a little break from their sports. Hopefully everyone will be excited to get started this semester, both academically and athletically.
I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. I hope the new year brings you health, happiness and love with family and friends.
Until next time, GO SQUIRRELS!!!

Thanksgiving

Hello All,

Thanksgiving Day is almost here and it is my favorite holiday. Why? It's not about gift giving or commercialism. It's about spending time with the ones we care about, laughing and reminiscing, and just enjoying each other's company. Thanksgiving Day does come once a year but we should be thankful every day of the year. We should find something, even the smallest of gratitude, because in giving thanks every day we will lighten our load even if it is just for a moment.
I want to take this time to reflect on what we are most thankful for on this day because I know so many times we all take things for granted, myself included. I asked some of the softball players that question-what are you most thankful for at Thanksgiving and here are some of their responses.
- to have wonderful people in my life who stand by me through thick and thin and help push me
  to achieve my goals
- family and friends that surround me each day
- for the few people who have stuck by me throughout my life and supported every decision I have made
- my family and all of the opportunities God has blessed me with this year
-family and close friends for their support in decisions I have made
-support I get from my family
-my family and I don't have the opportunity to visit home often so Thanksgiving allows me to see them
-my family because they are the most important people in my life
-my family and all my close friends
-my family because without them I probably wouldn't be where I am today. They always push me to go for my goals and I'm blessed to have them.
-for the people in life and for having more of a relationship with God than I have in the past
-for my family being there to support me in whatever I choose to do
I have to agree with my players that we should be thankful for our families and friends who support
and love us unconditionally. No one lives forever in this life so NEVER take your families and friends for granted! Let's cherish all the moments we have with our families and friends.
Let's make sure though that we thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. I'm sure we take it for granted alot of times. There are those that go through each day complaining about something, whether the sun was in their eyes, or you got mad at the sales clerk at Lowes because they didn't mix the paint right. But now let's look at the other side of that-what about the blind person who would love to see the sun or the person who would love to have a house to paint instead of being homeless. We are all blessed even when we can't see the blessings sometimes. Never think that you are so bad off that it can't get any worse because it can.
Thanksgiving is a time for celebration and to remember what we are thankful for but let it be a remembrance of having done so throughout the year. I wish each and every one of you the very best Thanksgiving!
Until next time . . . .  GO SQUIRRELS!

Non-traditional

Hello All,

We just ended our non-traditional season and as coaches we were pleased with the work ethic of these young ladies. They embraced the weight training program and even though to some it might have been out of their comfort zone, they worked really hard at perfecting the right technique. We would like to say thanks to our trainer, Charlie, for all the effort and time he put in with our players and to let him know we really appreciate that.
The fall season had great weather for the most part and we really enjoyed taking advantage of it. It wasn't as chilly as some past falls have been and at times when we were outside, the girls didn't want to come inside.
We have less than three months before we start official softball practice and I don't know about the girls but I can't wait to get started. The fall brought a lot of promise and enthusiasm that I hope we can continue in January.
Until next time. . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!!!

Fall Season

Hello All,

Fall is that time of year where we begin our journey as a softball team to the end of our softball season in the Spring. Right now, it's not about wins or losses, batting or fielding percentages. It's about doing the little things that will lead to the bigger things. We have now been into our practice season for about three weeks now and the players are working really hard. It is always a struggle to try and get everyone here but the ones that have been attending have been working diligently. We have been in the weight room, out on the field, on the track here and there. The freshmen and newcomers have come in with great attitudes and are fitting right in. The returners have shown great leadership and making sure everybody is adjusting to not only softball but college life as well. As a coach, I always enjoying listening to the players talk and learning about each one of them through their discussions. You can learn so much from their interactions with others or with us as coaches. Softball is a team sport and teammates are family. By the end of our journey, I know we will be family and we will have come together as a team. For right now, let's enjoy the potential that the Fall season brings us. Until next time . . . .  GO SQUIRRELS!!!

Reflection

Hello All,

Ten years ago today, America changed. Our lives would change forever. Do you remember what you were doing that day? I can remember being here at work in the Physical Activities Center and we were all glued to the tv as soon as we heard what happened. I saw students being whisked out of classes, not knowing why they were being taken out of class but then realizing how in a moment their life was about to change. I believed it changed all of us that day. We can't sugarcoat what happened that day but what we can do every day is live how we lived Sept. 12, the day after. We saw people helping each other, we saw people comforting each other, we saw compassion. We didn't see differences, we didn't see discriminations of any kind. We saw how fragile life is and how it can be taken away from you in an instant. We saw what the word hero truly means. We saw Mary Baldwin College coming together. We saw America coming together. Today and every day make sure you live with no regrets, reach out to someone and make a difference, tell people you love them. For everything bad that happens, something good does come out of it. May we never forget what happened!

Hello All,

I hope everyone has had a great summer! A new school year is upon us here at MBC and with that we welcome all new incoming freshmen to our campus. The fall sports have started practicing and we have gotten a great new look on our athletic website. Check it out if you will! Softball will start their non-traditional season here in the next few weeks. This year we have added a new coach to our staff and I hope everyone welcomes him to the MBC community.
I know in the next few days that people can get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of life with classes, sports, meetings, etc. but let's not forget how important it is to live every day with no regrets. Life is short-let's all make good decisions, tell the people we care about while they are living, and always know that you CAN make a difference in just one person's life. There are a lot of great things happening at MBC and better yet many great people on campus are making a difference somehow.
This is our year to make a difference!
To all the Squirrels that are fighting for our country, THANKS and may God be with you!
To all the former softball players, thanks for allowing me into your life and for sharing part of you each and every day. I learned something from each of you.

Until next time. . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!!

Bus Trips

Hello All,

We have had quite a few bus trips the last couple of weeks and I just wanted to share some of our time on the bus. One weekend we journeyed up to Washington D. C. to play and on our way up we watched a couple of movies. One was Facing the Giants and the other was Fireproof. If you haven't seen either of those movies, you really are missing out. I had not seen either one of these but let me tell you, they both are very motivational, inspirational, and keeps in perspective what is really important in life. It was good to see those movies from my standpoint. I think we all took something from each of the movies. I know I did.
That was the serious side of the bus ride, now for the funny side of the bus ride. We started to watch the Big Bang Theory. And we have still been watching that. I am not sure what season we are on now. Times have changed since I have grown up because I use to play rock, paper and scissors and now after watching this, they have added to that. Now, it's rock, paper, scissors, lizards, and Spock. What in the world- what has changed! I just know my team likes that.
I just hope my team learns as much from me as I do them. Until next time. . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!!

Sportsmanship

Hello All,

It has been so busy with softball this last month that I have failed to provide a new blog until now. This post I would like to talk about sportsmanship and what it means. We all have different meanings I'm sure of the word sportsmanship but to me as a coach, it  is comprised of 2 concepts, fair play and character. To me fair play is having a chance to win in an honest way when opponents do not play fair and to have respect for others like teammates, opponents, and officials. Now character will refer to the way we respond to the opportunities presented to us during the game as well as our fears and failures. Such a simple gesture of character would be helping an opponent up or shaking hands after the game.
As a coach, I have witnessed a true example of both concepts and to me what true sportsmanship means. We were playing a team one Saturday afternoon and there were runners on 1st and 2nd and the batter hits the ball and as soon as she hit it, I thought it was over the fence based on the sound off the bat but from where I was standing it looked like it hit the top of the fence and fell back onto the playing field. The umpire must have seen what I saw because he didn't signal homerun and we grabbed the ball and threw it to 2nd base. Once the umpire called time, all of a sudden you see our centerfielder going to the umpire and saying it was a homerun. It HAD cleared the fence and hit a sign behind the fence and came back into the field of play. That was a true sign of sportsmanship and one that as a coach you have to be extremely proud of your player. This young lady did what was right and fair.
We are reminded in those situations that once the game is over and no matter what the score is of the game, that our self-worth remains the same and that once again, softball is teaching a life lesson for us to carry within for the rest of our lives.
Until next time . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!!!

Spring Forward

Hello All,

I am not sure we are used to it yet but when we move the clocks up one hour always makes me realize we are in full softball mode. Spring is just around the corner and this past Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day to play softball. Our softball team had a home doubleheader and we had some firsts in the games. One of our freshman players hit her 1st college homerun, which we were extremely proud . Second, we had another freshman player that we saw make great strides on the pitching mound. She really has come a long way and will only get better as we continue to give her the reps. Third, we made some great defensive plays all day. All in all, it was a good day even if some were sleep deprived. Until next time . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!

Weekend Warriors

Hello All,

Since my last post, we have come back from Spring Break and this past weekend we played  a couple of doubleheaders. You can tell we had been on break for awhile but I know it was a well deserved break for everyone especially the players. We had our first bus trip and as much as I try to double check to make sure I have everything the team needs (balls, bats, helmets,etc), I just asked our players to make sure they had their uniforms. Well, guess what-we are proceeding down the interstate, probably an hour away from destination, and one of the players comes to the front of the bus and says "Coach, I brought the wrong uniform." So, instead of panic mode, we went to our backup plan of attack. We figured out how to get the uniform to our game,  inserted a new starter into the lineup and off we go. Then, we had 2 players go down with injuries, one taken to hospital and the other did go back in to the game eventually. Although we didn't win those games, we kept fighting whether it was physically and/or mentally. Gotta love the game of softball- until next time . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!!

Hello All,

Yesterday we opened our season against McDaniel College and we won our first game 1-0 and lost our second game 12-0. It was refreshing to get in a doubleheader considering we have been practicing for a while now. As coaches we saw many positives and negatives throughout the day that we have to build upon throughout the season. What we hope as coaches is that they get some confidence in themselves, learn from their mistakes, improve as we go, and do the best that they can possibly do as individuals to help the team. It was nice to see so many parents, siblings, friends at the game for our players and we appreciate that so much! After the doubleheader yesterday, we dismissed the team to go home and enjoy some rest and relaxation during our spring break. What we don't take into consideration sometimes with the players, is that they do many things on campus other than classes and softball so for most they need the time to reenergize, take a deep breath, spend some time with family, etc. Hopefully they will get that in the next few days. Until next time . . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!

Life's Unexpectancies

Hello All,

This week we have been getting ready to open our season and unfortunately, we have already been dealt one of life's lessons. One of our players, a freshman, had her mom pass away suddenly. It's a tough transition anyway to be away from home your first year of college and then this happens. As sad as this is, it just goes to show how precious life is and how it can be taken away at any moment. When I got to talk to the team later that afternoon after practice, I could tell that they had heavy hearts and that this player was on their mind. As we were talking, I was very proud of the athletes standing before me. Some had tears coming down their face, others were thinking of what to do when she gets back on campus. They were coming together like a family should.
No matter what you are doing, stop and make sure you tell your loved ones how much you love them. As for the softball team, we are Fighting Squirrels and we will keep on practicing and playing. Life is tough at times but we will survive. To my player, we are with you in spirit and you are in our hearts and minds. To your mom, R. I. P.      Until next time, GO SQUIRRELS!!!!

One Week Away

Hello All,

As we are winding down this week, it is getting exciting knowing we are only one week away from opening our season. The players have been working really hard and it's amazing how much harder they work if you throw in the phrase "If this or that happens, you will be running for the miscues or mishaps." All of a sudden the light bulb turns on and they make great throws to bases, field all the ground balls properly, hit their cutoffs, etc. During Wednesday's practice, we finally came together as a team the last 5 or so minutes of that practice session. It was amazing seeing how they have improved and what they can do if they work together. I look forward to the season starting as I believe they are too. Until next time. . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!

Dust Bowl

Hello All,

As a coach, you get excited when the weather forecasts states for the week, highs in the 50s- 60s. However, yesterday at practice, it was nice but I believe the 50s- 60s meant miles per hour on the wind gusts that we had. What a practice we had to encounter. The players were troopers by all means but it's hard to get into any rhythm when we had to stop to turn our backs so the wind could take the dirt. At one point, my assistant coach wonders if we are going to have any dirt left on the field after all of this and then by the end of practice, I felt like a one-eyed coach doing fungo with so much dirt on my contact lenses. Another life lesson though, that the weather is something we can't control but we can control our attitude and hustle when things aren't going the way we planned for it to. That's a compliment to our team because that is what they did yesterday-hustled the whole time and never complained. Until next time . . . .   GO SQUIRRELS!!

Team Chemistry

Hello All,

This week has been a good week for us. The athletes have worked hard and we have done some team bonding activities. At the beginning of the week, we split the teams up and did a scavenger hunt. It was nice to see how they worked as teams to get the answers, how creative they were and also how competitive it got. I have never seen so many people trying to sprint down a hallway to get the papers back to us coaches.
So, after all of that fun, later on in the week, we did another activity......full court game of basketball. We, as coaches, had a great laugh. I'm so glad we didn't have officials for that because I am not sure we know what double dribble, travel, foul means or any other basketball terminology. Picture this to start the game, a 6 footer versus a 5 footer jumping to start, then one getting the ball and taking 3-4 steps and then putting the ball down to dribble whereas in the meantime the girl guarding here is almost doing a big bear hug on her(supposedly playing defense). I could go on with many other laughs about it but they did work as a team, it was good conditioning, good hand-eye coordination, and competitive. I'm just glad they play softball for MBC. Until next time. . . .  GO SQUIRRELS!!

White Out

Hello All,

When I hear the words"white out", I think about a stadium filled with fans wearing white shirts. Here at MBC during softball season, it means snow on our softball field and it has finally arrived this week. It is frustrating but out of my control so it does me no good to get upset or negative. We can't use the snow as an excuse to not work hard because we can control our attitude and hustle in practice whether we are outside or in the gym. When life throws you a curve ball, hit a grand slam! Until next time. . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!

2011 Season

Hello All,

Finally it's here-softball season is upon us and the first week of practice is almost over. I am excited about the upcoming season. There is a lot of potential there and I hope the players are just as enthusiastic as I am.
I am looking forward to seeing exactly how much we can achieve this season.
The players this week have been trying to get to know each other in a very positive and productive way. We have 5 returners this year along with welcoming in 12 newcomers. We all know that team chemistry is very important in any sport. As the great Henry Ford stated:
"Coming together is the beginning
Keeping together is progress
Working together is success"
I know this will transcend over to our team. The players have been working hard all week and we want to improve each and every week. Thanks for checking in with the Fighting Squirrels softball program and I will do my best to keep you informed and updated through these blogs. Until next time. . . . . GO SQUIRRELS!!!