California Bound - Part IV
March 07, 2012 | Softball
March 7, 2012
by Jill Jelnick
Sophomore infielder/outfielder
Part four of four
Well, let me tell you ... this has been one great adventure the last six days! I don't even know where to begin! From the In-N-Out Burger at the airport, to our awesome tailgates after the games, to playing two top-20 teams within 24 hours to jumping off 15-foot cliffs into a pool, this has been more than a trip to remember. But most importantly, I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to share it with.
I will be the first to admit it, but I know we are all thinking it ... we have been pleasantly spoiled the last couple days! We have been so lucky to be fed California's finest foods by all the moms and dads at the wonderful tailgates and to have had the opportunity to go as a team to THE happiest place on earth. How many Division I softball teams do you know that get the opportunity to go to both Disneyland and California Adventure in one day with all their teammates? I just know one - this one. I can definitely tell you that you could not find 16 happier Pirates that day. And just when you think the day could not be any more perfect, we step outside the vans and into a tropical paradise complete with perhaps the world's greatest pool and water slide.
Thank you so much to all the moms and dads who worked so hard the last couple days making us feel like home. One of my favorite authors, Jane Austen, wrote, "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." And I believe I can speak for the whole team when I say that although California is not home to all of us, we could not be closer to home.
With a California tournament comes some great California teams. We were fortunate enough to play four great teams last weekend as well as see the best pitching we have faced all season. That experience will help us in the end more than we might realize right now.
Unfortunately, we would have all liked a better outcome Saturday and Sunday, but like a ticking time bomb, we were waiting to explode. And luckily for us it was just in time for out last game with Cal State Fullerton. There wasn't a single girl who wasn't ready to play her heart out tonight and it showed not only on the scoreboard, but in the dugout and on the field. All I know is that the teams in Arizona [at the Diamond Devil Invitational] better watch out because this time bomb isn't done ticking yet. In the words of Coaches Kee and Kozlowski, "It always feels better when you win." There is nothing like leaving beautiful California with a beautiful win.
So lets see...what is there left to do? We filled our bellies with the best food in the state, recruited the best bat boy in the nation, conquered our fears, jumped off 15-foot cliffs, and jogged the streets of Anahiem during morning conditioning as if we owned them.
What is there left to do? One word. Sleep. Thank you again for all the wonderful support we were given this weekend and hope to see you all again real soon!
Goodnight California. You have been an adventure to remember.
Jill
