Athletics Student Blog

Just a quick note to inform all readers that......

THE JUDSON COLLEGE SOFTBALL TEAM HAS QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS!!!! 

Today was the BIG day! We received our bid to go to the "big tournament"! It's what we've worked for all season. The tournament will be held in Akron, Ohio at Firestone Stadium.

Stay tuned for more updates!! =) =) =) =) 

- Samantha Jo =) 

So... We athletes like to call those serious pre or post game pow-wows “come to Jesus meetings”. I know pretty much everyone out there has experienced one, sports related or not. Sometimes they are just what you need to get the fire burning, or in our case, to get the ball rolling. I’m not sure why they are called this but in my experience good things happen after these little chats.

Our chat on Tuesday after our first game against Gadsden State Community College went a little bit like this…..

Get your head in the game!

That’s pretty plain and simple right? Well, let’s just say from there on out it’s been nothing but good things. We ended up beating Gadsden State in the second game, which is great for me since that’s my hometown! I got to see a few friends that I played ball with in high school that now play for that team. Today we had our first game in our very own tournament that we are hosting in nearby Selma. We played AUM (Auburn University Montgomery), and even though they are significantly “larger” than we are, we played with a lot of heart. I couldn’t be more proud of my team. We did end up losing but not by errors! We hit. We fielded. We made those ESPN plays, but just fell short.  Coach Jones knew how well we played, and offered up nothing but kind words at the end.

Tomorrow is another day which means more games. We have two games on Friday and two games on Saturday. We are hoping to add a few more “W’s” to our list before we head off for Spring Break. If we continue to progress like we are, then it is possible that we will return to the big tournament at the beginning of May.

Nationals, here we come! I can almost taste it.

-Samantha Jo =)

“We need to learn how to win! " – Coach Jones

Would you say that this is a true or false statement?  I could see how some would say false.  I mean really how do you “learn” to win?  I mean either way it’s a matter of opinion. What does learning to win mean? I understand hard work and dedication, but what else goes into winning? After all, I really just want to be successful.  After our loss to Bishop State on Wednesday, Coach blessed us with this quote. One of his more serious ones I might add. This quote full of meaning, stuck with me and I’ve actually been pondering it the last few days…. How do we learn to win?

Sometimes winning isn’t always about the physical. I personally think the mental plays a key role in sports (and in life for that matter). You have to believe you can win. You have to become accustomed to winning.  Sometimes when you get on that losing bandwagon, you feel like you just can’t get off. I think what Coach wants us to do is…. Believe.

Believe  when you’re hitting.

Believe  when you’re diving after that ball.

Believe  when you’re sliding into home plate.

We have the will power. We have the skills. We have everything possible to produce wins, but what is it that is missing?

True Story: This is the best team I have EVER played on. Yes, I know it’s early but we have great team chemistry and we are in it to win it. Maybe it’s like that movie “Facing the Giants”, our time will come….

Tomorrow we have a double header; we are going to put these new ideas into effect. We may win… We may lose….  But I believe we can do this. =)

 -Samantha Jo 

I don’t believe there has been a time before now when I have felt like this. It’s definitely not a good emotion to have. I would call it stretched to the max. I’m that rubber band that’s about to pop, and when it does finally pop it usually hurts somebody. Well, maybe that is a little exaggerated, but it’s a pretty close replication of how I feel.

With softball starting up, I’ve been a busy little bee. We played in Mobile on Tuesday, which means leaving at 8 am and not getting home till almost 10 pm. Finally, when you do make it back to the “Dorm Sweet Dorm,” all you want to do is shower and sleep. (And let me tell you that is exactly what I did!) More games tomorrow which means missing more classes.... I just feel so far behind already. I told myself I was going to sit down and get as much done tonight as possible. Well, I did get some homework done but not as much as I would have liked too. With uniforms needing washing, and curfew to be checked…. Here it is midnight and I’m finally going to sleep.

I need one day with nothing to do just so I can get caught up. Oh, Sunday! Nope, that isn’t going to happen either!!! I have to travel to Springville, Ala. to be at the wedding shower that I am hosting for my Judson Big Sister, since I am her Maid of Honor. Now don’t get me wrong… I love all the stuff that I am doing with softball and the shower, and actually taking the time to be a leader by checking softball curfew and making sure everyone knows all the information needed for games. I just really need a break already, and I know A LOT of people are feeling the same way….

I just want to end on one positive note….

SPRING BREAK IN 17 DAYS! =)