So far, the news has yet to sink in.
Jenn Salling is in Eugene, working out with her softball teammates and attending classes. The redshirt sophomore is doing everything she normally would be doing leading into the next softball season.
Friday’s announcement changes that.
Salling, a native of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia was selected to the Canadian team for the 2008 Olympic Games, which means the star shortstop will miss the 2008 Oregon season. The Olympics are taking place in Beijing from Aug. 12 through 21, 2008.
Salling described the news as “pretty overwhelming.”
She was at a local mall getting her nails done when she received the call from Canada’s coach, Lori Sippel.
“What do you say?” Salling said. “‘Awesome. Thank you.’”
An official e-mail was sent out Friday with a media release and roster. The news means Oregon will be without its All-American from last season, who had a .481 batting average, 14 home runs and earned Pacific-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year honors.
Salling’s record-breaking season included a .873 slugging percentage, 73 RBIs, 46 walks and 138 total bases.
“She’s living an ultimate dream. Playing in the Olympics is the ultimate place to play in softball,” Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen said. “Are we going to miss her? Heavens yes. But it kind of tells you what kind of team we have because no one is upset or disappointed that Jenn made the team and won’t be with us.”
The Oregon softball coach has had previous experience with players and the Olympics, most recently former Duck Ani Nyhus who played with Canada in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Then, Nyhus only missed a tournament for Oregon leading up to the Olympics and played the rest of the season.
Initially, Arendsen thought it might be the same for Salling. Arendsen learned late last spring her shortstop likely needed a redshirt year and by then it was too late to recruit another player to fill the position.
“Plus, we believe we have the best shortstop in the country in Jenn and so we’ve got some players who are working there and will fill in for her and do a great job and we’ll look forward to Jenn getting back,” she said.
Three players are being considered to replace Salling at the shortstop position – outfielder Lovena Chaput, third baseman Joanna Gail and first baseman/catcher Ashley Kivett.
Chaput, who says Salling’s news is “awesome,” sounded confident she’ll be switching to the infield for her senior season and for the first time since high school and travel ball.
“It’s nice to have her, though, as a teammate and a mentor almost to help me work on my mechanics and stuff while she’s here,” Chaput said. “I pick her brain all the time. It’s going to be a different year, but that’s OK.”
Salling is taking four classes, two online and two in a classroom, which she’ll finish on Nov. 28 and then travel to Ottawa to start training.
Although Arendsen expressed confidence in Salling’s return for the 2009 Oregon season, Salling sounded less certain.
“I’ll see how I feel mentally, physically,” she said.
Salling is joined on the Canadian team by her close friend Danielle Lawrie, a University of Washington pitcher from Langley, British Columbia.
“She’s like my other half,” Salling said of the pitcher who went 31-13 last season with a 1.54 ERA. “Danielle’s one of the best pitchers in the world, so I didn’t have any question that she was going to be there or not, but it definitely helps.”
The upcoming Olympics are the final games for softball for the foreseeable future. Softball and baseball have been removed from the Olympics for 2012. There is talk softball might be revived in 2016.
“I just think we have to cherish what we have for right now, and I still think people are still in denial that Olympics are out for 2012, which is really sad, especially for the young ones coming up,” Salling said.
Salling and Canada have a busy itinerary leading up to the Olympics. The Canadian team is traveling to Las Vegas in January for training and games against NCAA competition. They’ll also spend time in Australia training and facing Australia’s and Japan’s national teams in March.
All the traveling and training will prevent Salling from returning to Eugene during Oregon’s season next spring, though she plans to keep tabs on her teammates online.
“It’s out of their control what I’m doing, but it’s in their control what they’re going to do when I’m not there, so I think they’ll be just fine,” Salling said. “They’ve been preparing for it since the beginning of fall, and now they know it’s official.”
[email protected]