The End of a Softball Era

Where has the time gone?

 

Wasn't it just yesterday that we watched 12-year-old-Alyssa pitching at the Little League Idaho State Softball Championships?

 

 

Obviously not -- but sometimes it feels that way!

She's changed so much over the years. And not just the fact that now she usually wears contacts instead of glasses. And no longer wears a sliding pad on her leg. (And has the road rash to prove it, too!) But I think the "pitching look" on her face is actually the same!

 

So, last week was the final regular-season home game for the Varsity softball team. Senior Night.

The night when all the seniors and their parents actually get a little teary over softball. And it was not without smiles that evening, too:

 

 

(Alyssa was teasing the assistant coach, right before her at-bat. For Alyssa, being a senior on the team has made her more relaxed, and less stressed during games. I love that she is enjoying the game again!)

 

And her at-bats that afternoon/evening were awesome. She's hitting really, really well right now. So is Darcie -- who is cruising to being the ace player when *she* gets to be a senior.

 

 

(Alys bats 4th in the lineup, and Darcie follows her at 5th. Which is why you see Darcie in the on-deck circle in the background.)

So, it's a tradition that the senior families create a memory board for their girls -- kind of a photo collage of their life, especially their softball-centered lives. It was really windy that day, so instead of using easels, we ended up putting the posters on the wall of the building there at the fields. This is all four of the senior posters....

... and this is the one I made for Alyssa. I included photos from other parts of her life, including Prom pictures, band pictures, Junior Miss, Gold Voices, and a photo of her in her "scrubs" for her CNA class.

 

Between the two games of the double-header, the seniors and their families step out onto the field, and messages/thoughts to and from the seniors are read over the P.A. system. It was enough to make this bawl-baby softball mom get a little weepy...

Four seniors this year, and their families:

The girls...

 

I thought it was really nice that one of Alyssa's very best friends came and braved the wind and the cold to sit on a bleacher and watch Alyssa play softball:

Alyssa pitched the second game of the doubleheader (as she usually does).

And her sister, Darcie -- the amazing catcher:

 

Alyssa's long legs are a bit too long for the uniform pants. Last year, when they wore black pants, she just wore her own pants, which were long enough. This year, with the new uniforms and purple pants, she just goes around pulling her socks up a lot:

(after hitting a double out to the fence)

As hard as Alyssa works during her games, Darcie works just as hard -- as evidenced by the ice packs after the games were over.

 

The highlight of the evening was that Alyssa hit a walk-off home run, which ended the game in a mercy-rule score of 15-4 in the 5th inning!! It was an awesome way to cap her senior night, and I know she was pretty happy about that. So thrilled for her!

Because she has Darcie on the team with her, Darcie was the underclassman that brought a gift bag and flowers for her, as well as writing a personal message to be read to the crowd. The bonus is that Darcie knows her so well, she knew what Alys would like to get. Chocolate topped that list! (A girl after my own heart.)

Todd ordered a beautiful arrangement of flowers from his favorite florist, who did a great job with them....

 

Alys didn't open her gift bag until we were back home after the games, and she'd showered off all the field dirt. Can I just tell you how surprised and happy she was to get a gift card to her favorite hot chocolate stand?

 

I think that look tells it all. And a "sisters" photo frame -- so perfect for these two:

 

It was another teary moment at home, too.

 

Yeah, that says it all.

 

I love that these two love each other so very much, and that it shows. A lot of people marvel that they don't seem to argue or fight at all -- it's true, they almost never have cross words with each other. Not even when Darcie threw that softball back to Alys when she wasn't ready, and the throw was rather hard..... well, Darcie got The Look for it.  ;-)  We are so very blessed.

 

I don't know which one of these girls is going to miss the other one on the softball field more: the one who's leaving it, or the one that will still be out there, alone. Well, obviously not "alone", but without her sister. It truly is the end of a softball era for our family.

 

So proud of you, Alyssa! You are such an amazing girl and I love what the softball experience has contributed to your personality and character. It is part of you, but not all of you.

 

Alys has chosen not to pursue softball at the college level. I know that comes as a surprise to a lot of people. She's had colleges interested in her, and she plays at the level to be competitive in college softball. It was a hard decision for her to leave softball behind, but that is what she is doing. She is planning to major in nursing, and will be focusing her energies on keeping her grades high for that goal. We can't fault her for that, and we're 100% behind her on this.

 

We have a few softball games left: it's district playoffs now. I don't know how far this will take us, but I plan to be there for every one of these moments.