There is no greater feeling than accomplishing a goal. A goal that took several people a little over a decade to accomplish. A goal that captured a city's heart. A goal that allowed you to be the first. Ever. In history. Seattle was starving for an athletic accomplishment. The University of Washington softball team was able to provide some of the nourishment. This book is a memoir and behind the scenes illustration of a season to remember. A season full of laughs, tears and hardware.

WHO WE ARE IS WHY WE WIN

Breakin' it Down with BaileyBy Bailey Stenson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Bailey Stenson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-0224-2

Chapter One

February 4, 2009 Chomping at the bit

Eight-and-a-half months: gone. Countless 300-yard shuttles: ran. Half gassers: dominated. Lifting weights: psh, please. Mass groundballs: you know it. Hacks off a tee: done and done. Snow, ice, rain and hail: suffered.

It's finally here (feel free to read that in a whisper).

All we want to do is play.

We've been cooped up far too long: inside the Dempsey Indoor facility, in the weight room under bars racked with kilos, and layered beneath Under Armour long sleeves.

There has been a lot of talk about this year's team. With the return of our three redshirt leaders, ten players from the 2007 World Series squad (yes, ten, that's a lot) and our amazing young talent, we're finally getting our shot to show the nation what we've got (that should be the title of a rap song ... maybe lyrics to a Miley Cyrus song).

This team has a lot of fire and I am antsy to find out what this season has in store. Considering the fact that we spend every waking moment together (weights, dinner, practice, free time, study hall, class, roommates ... I wasn't kidding) it's actually pretty incredible that we aren't tearing at each other's throats. Everyone has great chemistry and shares a common love for this game.

Although, I am certain of one thing: I don't envy Coach Tarr's job of having to put together a lineup. We have so many options this year that we'll have no problem putting nine girls on the field who are ready to compete. In fact, if you want to get on the field, you just may have to tear someone's throat apart (I don't suggest it though, it could get messy).

We're ready to go to battle. Especially after hitting the Confidence Course at Fort Lewis at the end of January. We heaved ourselves over 1,000 foot walls (that may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much), army crawled under mesh netting, lowered ourselves down freestanding beams and shimmied down contraptions that you would have to see to believe. There were tears. It was intense.

But now that we have literally been battle tested: watch yo' back Tennessee, we got'chu first.

Ken Ravizza, sports psychologist extraordinaire, helped us determine that our team's biggest goal this year is to play pitch by pitch, inning by inning, and game by game. If we stick to that mantra, we will have no issue being where we want to be at the end of the season ... the "first".

The first for our program, the first of our family, the first in the nation.

We're all anxiously waiting to hit the diamond!!

Stay classy and GO TEAM PURP!!

Love, 20

February 8, 2009 Let us at 'em

AHHH!!! FINALLY!

What a freakin' phenomenal first weekend for the Dawgs! I am so, so, so very proud of the way our team played (can't you just hear the pride?). We faced some offensively aggressive teams, but our pitching and defense said "nuh-uh, get outta here". With Danielle, Felecia, and Jenna turning it over in the circle, the outfield flipping over fences to rob homeruns and our infield making diving stops, nothing could faze us.

Our offense came up clutch, as it should, with homeruns by some baller freshmen (Niki and Tails) and our senior leaders (Shlyn, Charters and Lo G), timely hitting by our vets and the rookies stepping it up under pressure.

The weather in Utah was worse than Seattle (unimaginable, I know) and it drizzled (the most annoying of drizzles) every ten minutes, but once the games got going, none of that was even a factor. With hand warmers in our back pockets, we got the job done and every game was the result of a team effort. I found it promising that when someone wasn't able to execute, someone else would step right up, say 'bring it', and make it happen. This was a great start to the season and all, but we will only get better from here.

Oh, and of course, there were some fascinating off-the-field occurrences that happened over the tournament:

* On our bus ride from the airport to our hotel, Coach Tarr played charades with us and came up with words like "because" and "concept" that we had to act out ... we didn't know she was so creative. Typically "banana" or "automobile" would have worked ...

* Friday was Ashlyn's 22nd birthday, but she decided to wait until Saturday and Sunday to hit her birthday homeruns.

* Alyson saved seven (yes: SEVEN, 7, siete!) potential runs by flipping over the outfield fence ... TWICE (which were the sickest catches ever) to rob homeruns and SAVE THE GAME on Friday night against BYU.

* I got my shot the next day against Southern Utah to rob a homerun, and I took care of it, but we were run-ruling them so it wasn't as intense as saving the game ... I preserved Felecia's shutout, that's cool right?

* Felecia crushed a ball 300 feet during our pre-game batting practice (300 frickin' feet, are you kidding me?? Is this real life?!).

* Charters blasted the difference-making grand slam against BYU (that's a nice welcome back for her; expected though).

* Lauren also clutched up big time (which is no surprise considering her middle name is 'Clutch' ... well not on her birth certificate, although her middle name does start with a "C") and she had the game-winning homerun against LMU (she's had a sweet return back to the diamond as well).

* Sunday was Morgan's 20th birthday and she saw one pitch in each of her first two at bats ... one into the left calf and one into the right calf. That girl gets hit more than anyone in the country. I would not be surprised if she makes her way into the Husky record books by the time her career is over.

* Our bus driver also informed us, in depth, that he researches Bigfoot ... now that's just weird, (but note-worthy).

We'll get another opportunity next weekend in sunny Sah-n Dee-ah-go to challenge ourselves against some other great teams! Maybe we will all get a little color, seeing as how I am currently opaque. Sexy, kinda?

"We don't have to be superstars to win championships ... all we have to do is learn to rise to every occasion, give our best effort and make those around us better as we do it."—The man, the legend, the coach: John Wooden

Stay classy and GO Team PURRRRPPPP!!

Love, 20

GAMENOTES: Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah Pre-season ranked #15/21

Feb 6 vs. (12) Tennessee W 2-1: Charters was 1-for-2 and crossed the plate as the winning run. Bailey (yeah that's right, me) was 2-for-3 and had the eventual game-winning two-run double. Lauren was also 2-for-3 in her return back to the diamond while Danielle struck out nine Lady Vol's in her first collegiate appearance in the circle since the 2007 WCWS.

Feb 6 vs. BYU W 7-3: Freshman Felecia Harris made the start and collected the win, thanks to Alyson saving seven runs by robbing a three-run homerun one inning and a grand slam the next (which would have tied up the game). AC hit the first grand slam of the year for the Dawgs and the second of her career.

Feb 7 vs. Southern Utah W 9-0 (5 inn): Niki hit her first career homerun, while eight different Huskies had hits in the game, including freshmen Kimi, Jenna and Felecia collecting their first career...