Words cannot describe how bittersweet this season of softball has been for me. Over the years, I have put in countless hours of hard work to get to exactly where I am right now, and this is the first time that the end is actually in sight. Knowing that the end of my senior season will likely be the end of my fastpitch softball career has driven me in a way that I had never previously imagined. Although I plan on coaching youth softball after my time playing comes to an end, I have one last goal for my softball career: to return to Nationals.
Last year was a big year for our team, qualifying for Regionals for the first time in program history, and advancing to the NCSA National tournament in Columbus, Georgia, where we finished ranked 5th in the country. Our team’s leadership has played a key role in the recent success of our team, and I am so proud to have been on Executive Board as Treasurer for the last three years.
This season, our first two triple headers were arguably the most important games that we will play this season. We started off the year playing against Michigan State, a team that usually competes to win our conference. We split the series 1-2 against MSU and then moved on to play Grand Valley, another team that typically competes for our conference title. We fought hard and took two important wins against Grand Valley, with a series split of 2-1. Looking ahead, if we win the rest of our conference games, we will advance to regionals for the second year in a row.
With such a young team this year, this season has shown me that our program has a very bright future after my time here is done. We have upcoming Executive Board elections, and I have confidence that whoever takes the next leadership positions on this team will guide the team toward success. My time on the CMU Women’s Club Softball team has given me so much more than a four-year win-loss record. I have gained leadership experience, meaningful relationships, and the desire to pass these experiences that I have had on to younger generations through coaching. My time playing may be nearing an end, but the success of the program is just beginning.
Concluding
this post, I would like to leave a note to my teammates: Thank you for helping me to grow as an athlete, as a student, and as a person. Thank you for all the memories you have given me. I could not be more grateful to have been part of a program that I only dreamed of growing up. Thank you for making my dreams a reality, and I wish you all the best of luck in your continued success.
Kendall Kay Schrauben 