BLACKSBURG, Va. โ As Aristotle once said, we are what we repeatedly do. A lot of Blacksburg softballโs success comes from just that.
โThe girls give me a hard time, but I always say turn the page,โ head coach Alec Staneck said. โThatโs something we have lived by, turn the page move on, and worry about the next pitch.โ
In fact, Staneck says it so much, his players laughed when I brought it up.
โTurn the page like he said,โ junior pitcher Lorelei Spradlin said. โItโs very important to get over, it get through the inning, and push through and so we come out on top.โ
They know heโs right. By turning the page, the Bruins managed to flip a 2-4 start into a 15-1 run.
โThat slow start couldโve gone one of two ways and they rally together. These girls are the reason why we are where we are. They make my job a lot easier when they come out here and just work hard,โ Staneck said.
Leadership in its finest form, lead in part by a pair of best friends- pitcher Lorelei Spradlin, and catcher Katey Mathena.
โKnowing Lorelei for so long has helped us really create a bond and really, I know if sheโs having an off night on one pitch, I know what pitch call to help her bring it back into the other pitches,โ Mathena said.
While the Bruins attack the bats on offense, and are quick to collect outs on defense, the bond between these two is quite the advantage.
โI havenโt really heard of many teams that have that so kind of having her back there,โ Spradlin said. โMaybe if I do get a wild, she says take a breath. You know what weโre doing weโve been here before we can get through do it again.โ
โHave fun, the game is meant to be fun, so if we go out and have fun, hopefully we can come out on top,โ Mathena added.
So if we are truly what we repeatedly do, then Blacksburg softball should have no trouble finding success.