It was another terrific ride for the Oregon women’s softball team this season.
Through the ups (a 14-game win streak) and the downs (a three-game shutout weekend in Arizona), the women of the team became the talk of the town for the second consecutive season.
However, now that the season is over — one win away from the Women’s College World Series that began Thursday in Oklahoma — there are a few lessons and reminders that you, the Oregon softball team, must keep in mind before the 2005 season kicks off next winter, and they are things that can be applied off the field as well.
* Lesson one: Play like winners. It doesn’t matter if you win, lose or get taken to 13 innings by the last-place team from the Mid-Continent Conference; Oregon softball is now on the list of teams to beat.
Last season, it was OK to swing with the ups and downs. The program was still new to winning after the 24-30 season in 2002. This season, it was less OK, but still excusable. In 2005, after 2003’s 37-19 season and 2004’s 42-21 season, you ladies should realize: You’re expected to win. Use Arizona as your role model if you will. When the Wildcats lose, they get mad. And you can bet they come back twice as hard the next game.
* Lesson two: Start well, end well. Yes, the beginning of the season is time to work out the kinks and rust, but the end of the season is not the time for a 1-6 slump in the Pacific-10 Conference.
It’s that consistency issue that kept surfacing during the season, not just consistency during a game, or on a certain aspect, but for a season. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.
* Lesson three: Know that your time will come. Everyone but Jenn Poore, Anissa Meashintubby, Julie Jaime and Heather Munson will return next year. Add four recruits who have signed — Elmira’s Alicia Cook, Tigard’s Kristi Jorgensen, Tualatin’s Lovena Chaput and Joanna Gail of Poway, Calif. — and that’s a mixture with pure potential written all over it.
Challenge each other for starting
positions. Maybe put Beth Boskovich at first base, Amie Morris at catcher and, who knows, maybe Amy Harris will return to the ace role next season? It could be anyone, anywhere, and that will make the team stronger. Even after starting roles have been won for the beginning of the season, keep pushing each other.
* Reminder one: Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep sharing the hero role, being open and friendly with the media, amazing fans, encouraging each other, knowing how to calm each other down or pick each other up and working hard. These things that you already do unconsciously as a team are what make you such an easy team to enjoy covering. Whoever is the softball beat writer next year is in for a treat with this squad.
There are so many stories within this team that it is impossible to tell them all — like the three roommates raising puppies together, the players spending part of July participating in the Canada Cup, the return of Oregon recruits to the Duck squad, the head coach who is already of member of seven hall of fames and will be inducted into an eighth this November — there aren’t nearly enough notes packages, features or columns in a season.
* Reminder two: Have fun. Forget the media, forget the opponents, forget the rushed days of traveling — enjoy yourselves and the rest will fall into place.
With all of these lessons and reminders in mind, the softball team should have another successful season around the corner with head coach Kathy Arendsen at the helm.