NATALIE STOBERMAN: REPORTING FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
Spring Training Blog
After playing our last two games against USC Sumter on Saturday I feel like my body has been through the war. We played nine games in five days and we survived! Mind you we worked very hard despite not getting the results we wanted but we learned a lot about ourselves as a team and about the potential of where the program is heading. For myself and and a few of the seniors, I cannot be more grateful for having this trip to end our careers. And for having an authentic southern BBQ dinner of succulent pulled pork, savoury hash, corn bread (one of my all-time favourites), creamy potato salad and coleslaw and the best banana pudding dessert you ever did try. I miss it already so I'm going to try and make it when I get home. That meal was the cherry on top to finishing my career as a Humber Hawk.
Well it's time to make the trip back home back to the land of midterms, essays and assignments. We'll stop in West Virginia for the night before hauling it back to Toronto on Sunday. As much as we "missed" school, it is time to see my own bed again. At least we left it all on the field and took home amazing memories that should last us for seasons and years to come.
Blog Day 8
February 19, 2016Hey Hawks Nation!
Another long day at the office and another trip to the drawing board to finish our trip on a good note. Our heads weren't in it for yesterday's double header no matter how hard we tried to take home two wins. So last night we kept it low key and stayed in the hotel so we could rest and get focused for the last two games of the trip.
On to USC Sumter and then to get some southern BBQ before we start our long trip home!
Day 6
What a long day we had. We played hard for two games against a Division I squad so we took advantage of the evening to get some rest. But we took Winthrop by surprise because I'm pretty sure they didn't expect to play two full games yesterday, even if they were 8-1 and 6-1 ball games. We learned a lot from the experience and how to respond against a team that's trying to put the game away early. So in that sense it was a mission accomplished for us.
The tail end of our trip is starting to fly by and we have a solid match up against SC State on Friday. I can't believe we're down to our last two game days but I can't wait to leave it all on the field.
Day 5
Our day essentially played out the same way that our game did: it started off slow but it ended with a bang.
With the morning off we had some time to rest our aching bodies before we played nine innings against the Fighting Koalas. It was the same field that we'd been practicing on so luckily we had a short bus ride. The sun was shining between the odd cloud here and there and the temperature was like a perfect April afternoon at the ball park. And I will say I told you so because we did have a much better day on the diamond. It took a few innings but we eventually got comfortable at the plate and finally got the bats rolling. Columbia College threw six pitchers at us and we gave nearly all of them a hard time, more so as the game went on. We lost 11-15 but we ended off on a four run rally to close the gap and had three out of the park homeruns between Hilary and myself. Our batting line up had a solid day at the plate and we're just getting started. We play a doubleheader against the Winthrop Eagles on Thursday.
After our games it was BBQ time. We made a quick stop at the store for supplies like burgers, hot dogs, chicken and salad, and ice cream, cookies and cupcake for dessert. Then the squad went to work on the grill with Julia, Terah, Gregoris and Murphy taking the reins. They made a beautiful dinner for us and we all took over the common area to eat, watch Myranda drink pickle juice and take in the Duke vs. North Carolina game. Couldn't have asked for a better day.
Day 4
Feb. 16, 2016
Finally it was Game day. And we probably put on the biggest performance of the year… But it was on the bus. Our trip to Southern Wesleyan University was nearly two and a half hours long and I'm almost positive that we blasted music in the back of the bus for close to two of those hours. Not only were we blasting the music, we sang at the top of our lungs and danced like no one was watching (even though we all have videos of the madness). We played Bonnie's soca, songs from the Pitch Perfect movies, Nikki Minaj, sang like Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks in "No Air" and I even got my fix of Spanish music. We won't go into detail about that though. But you can probably see some videos on Instagram if you look hard enough.
Back to the games. So we got a good beating last night but it's not something we can't fix. Our defence was airtight but once we set our approaches at the plate we'll be dangerous. Tonight we play Columbia College and I'm feeling a much better game in our future. I'll let you know how it goes.
Day 3
Good morning Hawks Nation!
Monday was our last day to shake off the rust and get game ready. We had another early practice that covered all the bases (pun intended) and luckily we got that practice in before it rained cats and dogs. We had the rest of the day to relax, catch up on homework or to go explore. Well some us of were brave to go outside in the cold and pouring rain just to walk around the mall; rookie mistake.
We capped off the day with team dinner at Applebee's with a waiter that admitted he had just got out of jail hours earlier. Don't worry, he was innocent. But after today it's no more fun and games, just games haha. On Tuesday we play Southern Wesleyan University which is about a two and a half hour drive there and back. It'll be quite the haul, but if we sweep them we get dinner. Cross your fingers and your forks for us.
Until next time!
Day 2 pt 2
Annnnd we're back! We watched the Bulldogs mercy Winthrop 11-0 in five innings. Georgia is one of the best schools in the country and has one of the best hitters in the nation in their second baseman Alex Hugo, who Coach Duaine adores. Taking him to this game was like taking a teenager (or Elisa) to a Justin Bieber concert, it was the ultimate fanboy experience. But for good reason; everything that Coach Duaine has been instructing, retweeting and explaining to us about hitting was being played out in the field in perfect form from batters one through nine. The Bulldogs had at least 12 hits in the game including a monster home run. I would say that game spoke for itself and got us pumped to get playing by Tuesday.
Day 2 pt 1
Happy Valentine's Day Hawks Nation! We're sending our love from South Carolina and Georgia (when we get there). We've got the day off so we're getting reading to drive down to Athens, Ga. to spend the day and take in some Division I softball at the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs will be playing the Winthrop Eagles and we'll be playing Winthrop on Thursday. You know, just scoping out the competition ;)
After our double practice on Saturday we had quite a time getting snacks at Walmart and running around like kids in a candy store at Dick's Sporting Goods. If you've been there you know what I mean. The evening only got better from there when we went to the Olive Garden down the street from our hotel and we all left with food babies that we rested while watching All Star Game festivities. It was a busy day with the perfect amount of business and pleasure. I'll follow up with you when we get back from Georgia!
Day 1
Hey Hawks Nation! We finally made it to Columbia, South Carolina after two days on the soon to be world famous Hawk Bus. Not much to report after two travel days but I can tell you that since we've crossed the border there's been more snow on the ground in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia than we've seen at home all winter. #Winning. It was definitely a pick-me-up when the sun poked through the clouds part way through North Carolina and the snow magically disappeared on the hills and trees lining the freeway.
You can bet we've watched our fair share of movies. If you ask Brian and Joe they'd probably tell you that their favourite was Pitch Perfect. Who can blame them? But without a doubt the highlight of these travel days was catching the last few minutes of the men's basketball game against Sheridan on a tiny phone in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania. The Softball team was so sad they couldn't be there but we are incredibly excited for their OCAA Championships. The "Game of the Year" didn't disappoint even if the score didn't go our way. We still felt the atmosphere through the phone with the crazy amount of people in both sets of bleachers surrounding the gym. That alone hyped up everyone on this bus for OC's in March.
Natalie