Follow The Saints And Their World Series Journey Through The Eyes Of Kaelin Farrington
Sunday, May 24, 2009 (11:59 PM EST) - I truly
believe that God sends you on a journey in life at a specific time
and for a specific reason. I did not start at North Georgia,
nor did I imagine the blessing of this program on my life.
When I came to North Georgia I was hit with a big disappointment
immediately upon arrival. Because of an obscure NCAA rule, I
had a year of eligibility taken away from me. I could not
understand why this happened or why I was being punished.
Little did I know that there was a reason that was bigger than
anything I could understand. I was supposed to be on this
team, this year. If I would not have been punished I would
have finished a year ago without being a part of THIS team.
My career as a Saint ended today. I am so sad, not because I
did not win a National Championship, but because I do not get to be
a part of this team anymore. I will never be able to repay my
coaches or teammates for the lessons they have taught me and the
happiness they have given me. I will miss them so much!
Our dream came up short today, but I would not trade places with
any other player on any other team. There is no trophy
or title that is better than being a Saint. The girls on our
team gave every last bit of their efforts until the very last
pitch. I will take with me the desire and heart that each one
of the girls put forth in order to achieve a common goal. I
will carry so many lessons along with me in life to overcome the
obstacles that are ahead of me.
I would like to thank my teammates for always being there for me,
through thick and thin, they did and would do anything for
me. I would also like to thank Allison for all her dedication
to our team, she does not get enough appreciation for all the hard
work that she does for our girls. Thank you to Amanda for
stitching us up and taping us back together. I would like to
thank my assistant coaches, Andrea Moss and Keri McKee, for handing
down their knowledge and putting up with my hard head. I
would especially like to thank Coach Davenport for not only being
the best coach, but for caring about the development of the entire
person. I cannot imagine any words that could truly express
how appreciative I am of his work ethic and desire for the success
of our team. Lastly, I would like to thank my family and the
entire North Georgia Softball family for all of the support and
love.
As I feel disappointed today for not winning a National Title, I
know as time passes I will understand how many accomplishments this
team had. We are Peach Belt Conference regular season and
tournament champions. In the last two weekends, we won the
Regional and Super Regional Tournaments held at our very own
softball complex held in Dahlonega, Georgia. But most of all,
we came together as a team and competed. We did what we all
love, WE PLAYED SOFTBALL.
I am SO PROUD to be a Saint and am so grateful that I had the
opportunity to play ball with these 18 individuals and three
coaches. It was an incredible journey!
Saturday, May 23, 2009 (11:16 PM EST) - Our day
off today was well needed. After competing in two extra
inning games in a 48 hour period, our bodies were drained
physically and mentally. We were able to sleep in and we left
the hotel at 11:15 to head to Virginia Tech. We had the
opportunity to practice on Virginia Tech’s softball
field. I would like to thank Coach Scot Thomas for allowing
us to practice on his field. It was a wonderful experience as
our parents and softball family had the opportunity to watch our
practice. The Virginia Tech campus was beautiful and it was
wonderful to see the facilities.
During practice I realized how wonderful our softball family was
and how lucky we are to have the support from friends and
family. Our families bring love and support to every game as
they are our 10th man on the field. I cannot count the times
that my parents have had to give up their time, money, and own
personal lives for my softball life. They have made almost
every one of my games in my career. I will never be able to
repay them for the wonderful memories they have given me throughout
the years. As I looked around I realized that this was not
only the case for my family, but also the majority of the girls on
the team.
After practice we had some fun on the field as our Sports
Information Director, David Beall, our assistant coaches Andrea
Moss and Keri McKee, and the pitchers on our team were able to hit
on the field. There was even a challenge between Coach Moss,
a former pitcher, and David Beall to see if he could hit a pitch
off of her. Both fought valiantly and although Coach
Moss blew a couple pitches by David, he did have a line drive up
the middle for a hit.
When we left the field we went to lunch with our softball family
and had a good lunch where we were able to play pool and skee ball
with players and family. We then went and visited the
memorial for Virginia Tech where 32 lives were lost. There
was a stone which represented each life that was lost on the day
that the shooting occurred. As we looked at the names we were
reminded of the tougher battles in life and how we are blessed to
have the ability to play the sport that we love.
After lunch we went back to the softball complex and watched Lock
Haven and Indianapolis battle on the field where Lock Haven came
out the winner. We will play Lock Haven tomorrow morning, the
only team remaining that we have not competed against this
year. We left the field and came back to the hotel
where we were in for the night. We ordered pizza and were
allowed to hang out with family or teammates.
As we prepare for tomorrow we know we must battle one pitch at a
time and one inning at a time. We want to prepare for this
game the same way we have prepared for every other game this
year. We must “pull down our shades” and mentally
prepare for another battle tomorrow. Just as the Virginia
Tech victims taught us and even girls on our own team have taught
us, we are blessed to have the opportunity to play tomorrow.
Jessica Skeels, Natasha Willemse, and Katherine Martin have all
suffered season ending injuries. Those girls would probably
give anything to have the opportunity to play tomorrow and each one
of us should play each inning and every pitch as if it were our
last. Although these girls cannot play on the field, they
have been a huge part of our success this year. Tasha began
the season as our starting catcher, but her season ended too
quickly with a broken thumb and shoulder surgery. Jessica
Skeels played almost half of the season until she ran into a fence
chasing a ball and tearing her ACL. Katherine Martin, a
freshman on the team, never had the opportunity in the spring to
put on a uniform. Her freshman debut ended in the fall with
shoulder surgery. They do not have the stats in the game, but
without these girls we would not have our work ethic, spirit, or
intensity. They all bring so much to our team.
As we prepare for tomorrow I think about how blessed I am to get
to go out and play the game we love. Tomorrow I GET TO PLAY
SOFTBALL. I am so PROUD to be a Saint and cannot wait to go to
battle with my teammates tomorrow.
Friday, May 22, 2009 (11:47 PM EST) - And I thought it
could not get better than yesterday…and yet it did!
Our team has such resiliency, they are AMAZING. Our
defense and pitching carried us through 10 innings as our offense
took over in the 11th inning in another come-from-behind
win. To have one game like we have had in the last two
days would be amazing, yet we have had two games that are once in a
lifetime comebacks. With one out and the bases loaded we
managed to score two runs on a single to right field and another
clutch hit from Lupis to score three runs to go ahead 3-2 against a
battling Angelo State.
Although every game in the World Series is a big one, we knew
going into this game that a win could put us in a very good
position. We woke up this morning, again with our traditions,
dancing to “Woop There It Is”, doing our hair just
right, wearing the same undergarments (of course washed), and
listening to the same music on the way to the game. We did
not want to mess with any of our routines or superstitions that we
have depended on all season long.
We warmed up as usual and had a relatively good warm-up. We
all have done the same warm-up for so many games that we all know
where to be at, what to do, and how to do it without asking or
saying anything to each other.
As we lined up for the National Anthem and starting lineups we
could feel the importance of this game. Although this is our
first trip to the National Championships, I feel as though our team
has handled the pressure and importance of our games relatively
well. As a team we brought the energy to the game and tried
to carry ourselves with confidence.
We battled offensively throughout the entire game but could not
find a way to cross a run over the plate. Going into the
bottom of the seventh inning we knew that if we would just score
one run, we would win the game and move onto Sunday. I knew
we would do it, I knew we would score the one run we needed.
We loaded the bases with no outs as once again my teammates fought
and battled to reach base. Somehow, some way I knew we would
score. Somehow, some way they got out of the inning without
giving up a run and we were forced to go into extra innings.
This was a major disappointment and was somewhat difficult to
forget as we had to go right back onto defense and begin to fight
again. That is the beauty of softball, if you fail to
produce, you must forget it and move onto the next play. We
moved on and continued to battle through 10 scoreless
innings. As much as we wanted to win, Angelo State battled
right back with us and eventually took the lead 2-0 in the top of
the 11th inning.
Again, doubt began to creep into our heads but we had to fight the
thoughts off in order to overcome and persevere. We all
knew we had done it yesterday, but could we do it again today?
Could we have a magical comeback? We knew that if we were
going to do it again, we would have to do it one hit at a
time. Pilar, Hilary, and Stephanie battled and fought their
way onto the base paths. With one out I stepped to the
plate. I wanted it so bad; I wanted to come through for my
team because I knew how hard they had fought for 11 hard
innings. Coach told me just to have fun as I walked to the
plate, he did not want me to feel the pressure of losing if I did
not get a hit, he wanted me to feel the experience of the
situation. He wanted me to enjoy the moment, a moment where I
had the opportunity to step up and come through for our team in a
World Series game. What an opportunity? As a competitor
you dream about these type moments. With a single to right
field, we scored two runs to tie the game. Then with a runner
on second, Lupis had another magical hit to score the winning run
and advance us to Sunday.
I remember last year Krista Bess, our senior, hitting a two-run
homerun to win a game in the conference tournament. When she
hit the ball I could not help but think of the memories she would
always carry with her from that day. Those memories are more
than any picture or trophy could ever display. I feel like
the last two days are memories that I will always carry with me,
through my entire life. I can never repay our team and my
coaches for the memories they have given me. They are
priceless. I am so PROUD to be a Saint and cannot wait to
return and battle with them again on Sunday.
Thursday, May 21, 2009 (9:58 PM EST) - Today
was one word, “Incredible.” I am so inspired by
the drive, desire, and perseverance that my team showed in our game
today. Down to our last out and our last strike we found a
way to fight and come back from a 3-0 deficit. I was truly
amazed by our continued fight in the face of adversity.
Having a late game was nice as we were able to sleep in before
getting ready for our game. My roommate, Courtney McGuire and
my normal roommate Jessica Skeels have a routine of waking up to an
alarm of “Woop There It Is.” Even if we are
awake, we pretend that we are sleeping so that we can wake up and
dance on our beds to the song. Since Skeels is not our
roommate on this trip we called and asked her to come all the way
up from the pool area (even though she just had ACL surgery 3 weeks
ago.) We tried to eat a not-so-good breakfast to which
Courtney and I resorted to oreo cookies after being unsatisfied
with the hotel food. The excitement and nerves set in as we
walked to the bus from our hotel. We were all focused in on
the task at hand and continued our pre-game rituals. We try
to justify our superstitions by saying they are routine, but really
we are tremendously superstitious.
As we arrived to the field we went through our normal routines of
warm-up where running a pole becomes more and more difficult for my
old body. As we waited to take the field I could feel the
nerves starting to ball in my stomach. As we took our infield
we tried to act like it was just another game while in the back of
our minds we knew it was so much more.
As the game began the first couple of innings went by quickly, we
threatened several different times but could not string together
any hits. We had a terrible blow in the 5th inning when one
of their players sent a three run homer over the fence. We
fell behind for the first time in a very long time. We
continued to have positive thoughts and tried not to let doubt
creep into our heads. We battled and fought and nothing
seemed to fall our way. Sarah Phillips, our pitcher, did a
terrific job of battling even after the homerun and making sure she
kept us in the game. With two outs in the seventh down by
three with two runners on, Lupis (Laura Voyles) sent a three run
bomb over the fence to tie the game. I do not think I have
experienced that type of excitement in any game I have ever
participated in during my career.
After three scoreless innings, Courtney McGuire stepped up with
one out in need of just a simple base hit. She did plenty
more than that sending a two run homerun over the fence to give our
team the walk-off win.
I cannot believe the perseverance our team showed as they battled
and fought back from the game. The game today was what the
College World Series should look like and the team we played (Dixie
State) acted with the utmost class. They battled the whole
game and endured a very tough loss as they were ahead most of the
game. They were respectful and showed class throughout the
entire competition. It is good to see such good sportsmanship
from the teams at the Elite Eight.
As we get ready for bed we have to again erase today’s
excitement and focus on our next task at hand. Tomorrow we
will play Angelo State at noon. Although it was such an
incredible feeling to celebrate such an exciting win, it is time to
“pull our shades down” and get refocused for
tomorrow. I am so proud of my teammates and the
determination they showed today. I will go to war with them
any day of the week. I am so PROUD to be a Saint and am so
thankful I can go to battle with them again tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 (11:43 PM EST) - Day two of our
journey began with a fulfilling experience at the Veterans Affairs
Hospital located in Salem, Virginia. We delivered flowers to
the men and women who had served in our armed forces for Memorial
Day coming up on Monday. The men that we visited were
long-term stay patients. Smiles came to their faces as the
girls on our team brought the flowers and just simple company to
their lives at the hospital. I could truly tell that it made
their day to have visitors and guests come to their rooms. I
realized that volunteering your time, just for an hour, can make
somebody’s day. The visit also brought laughter to our
team as one of the patients asked if Caroline, our more outspoken
teammate to say the least, had been “smoking” the plant
that she delivered to him. What I saw that was even more
amazing was the men and women that worked with the veterans on an
everyday basis. They were such kind and patient people that
treated the men and women as their own parent or grandparent.
I truly admire the nurses and staff that spend their days helping
to make the veteran’s days better.
We left the hospital and headed to the field for practice at
10:15. Our first hour of practice was on the field that we
would be playing on all week. I could feel the energy that
the stadium had and tried to soak in the entire atmosphere.
It was amazing to know that so many championships had been played
at this very field. Our second hour was on another field as
we took a round of infield, just as we have done almost everyday
since beginning in August. As I was leaving the field to walk
to our BBQ that was prepared for us, I walked out with my
coach. He asked, “Whatcha think kid?” and I
replied with “Incredible.” He told me to soak it
all in and I have tried to soak in every minute, every second of
the experiences I have had here in Salem, Virginia. As a
former player and experienced coach, he truly loved playing the
game and that is seen in his coaching. He tries to express to
us how important it is to not just go through the motions, but
enjoy every minute of the experiences because one day we will look
back and wish we could be in that very moment.
We walked to the BBQ where we thoroughly enjoyed the food.
There was pulled pork, ribs, chicken, corn, vegetables and most
importantly ICE CREAM SUNDAES. There was karaoke, basketball,
and corn hole being played by many of the teams. We could all
see the different personalities of the teams, but at the same time
could see all of the similarities.
We left to come back to the hotel and our exhaustion showed on the
bus ride home. We all got off the bus and I believe most of
us took a very good nap. We then got ready for the banquet
and headed out around 6:30. We were in a little different
attire than we were used to as we were mostly in dresses (although
we still had our flip-flops). The banquet went very well and
each team had an opportunity to have representatives come up and
give a two minute speech. It was interesting to see what
people came up with as we were not given many parameters of what we
were supposed to discuss in these speeches. The first group
was awesome as they sang a song to the tune of “Old
McDonald.” As they sang the song there was definitely
similarities of the struggles that each team went through during
the year. We could all relate to bad weather, pulling the
tarp, not-so-smart freshman, and fun experiences that were
individual to each team. The one team discussed how one of
their teammates asked “what kind of fish is
catfish?” We were too embarrassed to say that one of
our teammates who will remain unnamed who happens to be from
Maryland asked “Is Okra a fish.” Although we are
competitors, the banquet is a time to come together and celebrate a
sport that we all love. The end of the banquet honored those
who were named to the All-American teams. We were all very
proud of our two All-Americans, Courtney McGuire and Sarah
Phillips. They both have had a tremendous season and deserve
all of the honors that they have received.
We got back to the hotel and of course changed right back into our
clothes (sweats and tshirts). As Coach Whitlock discussed
yesterday, now is the time to pull our shades down. We must
now begin to focus and mentally prepare ourselves for the game
tomorrow. The experiences we had today were fun, but now its
time for business. I am PROUD to be a Saint and cannot wait
to “Introduce Ourselves”
tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 (11:05 PM EST) - Today I
woke up at 8:00 with a start knowing that we would be headed to
Salem, Virginia for the DII Softball National Championships.
It was easier than usual getting out of bed and getting ready for
practice. We went to practice at 9:00 and had a guest speaker
at 10:00. The guest speaker was Coach Whitlock from Kennesaw
State University. He was an experienced coach when it came to
DII softball as he has taken his team to Salem five times and
walked away with a National Championship two of those trips.
The two main ideas I took away from his speech was that we do not
talk about our talent but rather show our talent. He used the
phrase, “Introduce yourself” as a way of saying show
what you are made of as a team. He also spoke of the PRIDE we
should have in ourselves and our team for the accomplishments we
have had so far this year. I know, as a senior, that I will
be proud of this season no matter what happens this week but yet I
will not be satisfied with anything less than walking away with a
National Championship.
As we left Dahlonega for our first ever trip to the World Series
as a Division II institution, we were sent off by a warm and well
wishing softball community. In this group were professors,
parents, school administration, the President of the University,
school staff, and long-time fans of the program. It was an
unbelievable feeling seeing all of the faces that came out to
support us and wish us well. It was then, at that very
moment, that it sunk in that we were going to the World
Series.
Our bus was filled with excitement, pride, and joy that the goal
we had so long worked for was finally here.
We left the school at 1:30 and were escorted by our campus police
to our county line. Many of the girls slept and relaxed on
the bus while I could not sit still thinking about the journey we
were about to embark on during the next week. We stopped to
eat down the road as I soaked in the laughs and friendships I have
made throughout the last couple of years knowing after this week, I
would not have the chance to travel with my team again. We
are a team, we are a family, we are sisters and I know throughout
the years the friendships I have made and the experiences I have
had on the team will be a part of me for the rest of my
life.
We arrived at the hotel at 9:30 and checked into our rooms.
My roommate, Courtney McGuire, and I walked into our hotel room and
just like any other college students were impressed with our
rooms. She even went over to the lamp when she was unable to
find the switch and tried to “clap on” the light.
Unfortunately, she did not see the switch on the backside.
The hotel was high tech, but not that high tech. My other
teammate, Leslee Smith, walked in with our “free” water
bottles that seemed like such a generous gift from the hotel.
Unfortunately, the waters were not free, instead they were $4
dollars(this is $40 dollars in college student
conversion.)
As we get ready to go to bed we all have excitement still running
through our veins. Tomorrow morning we are looking forward to
volunteering at a VA hospital with a chance to give back to the
community. I am overwhelmed with the blessings I have been
given not only this year, but also the last three years from the
North Georgia community. I truly understand that for a
softball player to end a career in such a prestigious place is a
once in a lifetime opportunity. I am so PROUD to be a Saint
and cannot wait to begin my final chapter with my team.
