The Auburn softball team came just one run from winning a national championship in their first appearance in the Women’s College World Series finals. The Tigers’ amazing game play and obvious love for each other and the sport resonated with fans, garnering them a monumental number of new followers.
Though Victoria Draper and Tiffany Howard had ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 catches, and Emily Carosone added a dramatic walk-off grand slam to win game two, none of those in-game moments were as raw, as heart warming (and wrenching) or compelling as the last moments of the magical 2016 season.
The last scenes of the season that Auburn fans will always remember were not the Tigers winning in dramatic fashion. In fact, the enduring memory will be of bitter and soul-crushing defeat. And that’s totally okay.
Particularly poignant was when sophomore Courtney Shea was called up by coach Clint Myers to pinch hit with two outs in the seventh and Auburn down by one. Shea’s at-bat didn’t win the game. It wasn’t another miracle for the Tigers. It was a weak grounder that squibbed up the infield and became the last out. She battled. She fouled off pitch after pitch while silently singing words from Beyonce’s “Flawless.” As she crossed the first base bag, her face and tears said it all as she confronted her team. Yet, she said it anyway …
“I’m sorry.”
I’ve been a fan of Auburn athletics my entire life. For the first time, I wasn’t angry after a loss, even one of this magnitude, because I KNEW she meant it. In fact, I was devastated for her and for the team, especially the seniors to whom she pleaded for forgiveness.
There was plenty of hugging for Oklahoma as players celebrated. There was also the embrace of seniors to Shea as she lamented her inability to bring them victory in their last collegiate game.
If eyes are the window to the soul, ESPN gave us a glimpse into Shea’s as she shed tears and searched for forgiveness from her teammates. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in sports.
The scene from Oklahoma City showed a great many things to Auburn fans.
Yes, watching Auburn lose was painful, as was watching Shea’s and her team’s reaction to the loss. But, it showed much more. It showed a young team understanding what the game means, especially to the seniors. Those seniors, not recruited by coach Myers, were part of something they never thought they’d experience. Players of obscurity, on a team that struggled to be relevant in the mighty SEC, became folklore legends. Along they way, they …
set the groundwork for an elite program.
To end the season, Auburn played 13 straight games against ranked opponents, posting a 9-4 record. That run included winning Auburn’s second consecutive SEC title, an amazing feat for a program that had never before won a title. Winning that SEC crown included accomplishing the truly amazing feat of beating Florida and Alabama on the same day before defeating LSU in the title game.
After making it to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in 2015, the Tigers finished 2016 at 58–12, the best record in team history. While many programs advanced through regional, super-regional, and even WCWS competition after playing mediocre opponents for much of the year, Auburn became one of the most prolific offenses and efficient defenses in the country while playing the very best competition.
At the heart of that success were Auburn’s seniors.
The Tigers hit a combined .317 while scoring 556 runs. Of their 599 hits, 89 of them were home runs. Auburn didn’t eclipse the 2015 program record of 99 homers, but individual efforts by Kasey Cooper and Jade Rhodes exceeded last year’s marks. Rhodes set the program record with 18 homers in 2015. Cooper reset the bar in 2016 with 21 and Rhodes was just behind at 20, finishing her career with 46 total homers while hitting a career-best .338.
Along the way, Cooper was named SEC Player of the Year and was a USA Today Player of the Year finalist. Rhodes, as well as Emily Carosone, found professional softball teams to continue future play.
Carosone became perhaps Auburn’s most well-rounded player as she finished the year hitting .399 with 13 home runs and fielding at a .966 clip. She was magnificent on the base paths, making smart plays that most players would never consider.
Four-year starter and leadoff hitter Tiffany Howard ended her career hitting an astounding .362 with an on base percentage of .441. The senior added two homers, including a grand slam in postseason play, after not hitting a single home run in almost 700 previous at-bats.
Auburn loses three pitchers to graduation.
Veterans Lexi Davis, Marcy Harper and Rachael Walters have pitched their last game in an Auburn uniform. While Harper and Davis were frequently used as relievers, Walters finished the season 11–3 with a 1.66 ERA and added 67 strikeouts, good for second on the team. She ends her Auburn career at 29–6 with a 2.46 ERA.
Auburn also loses other seniors who didn’t see the field as much.
Of course everyone knows Kelsey Bogaards, the player nicknamed “Turtle,” who missed most of her senior year with an ACL tear before re-injuring it in her reappearance at the end of the season. Seniors Madison Dickey and Maria Mitchell also played their last game for Auburn.
It’s tough to believe that Auburn will rebound after losing such veterans.
The three starters, Howard, Rhodes, and Carosone, all did so many things with their leadership and on field performance that are just hard to quantify. Auburn’s depth at pitcher, thanks to Walters, Davis, and Harper, gave Myers extra dimensions that most coaches aren’t lucky enough to have. Though none of these players were Myers’ recruits, and most of them weren’t heavily recruited by powerhouse programs, it is a testament to their coach and their character as to how they evolved into an elite team.
What will Auburn look like in 2017?
To come full circle, the future is now in the hands of younger players like Courtney Shea, who will undoubtedly be hungry. It is obvious they love the game and their teammates, and they want to win. It showed on their faces as they walked away from Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. Fans couldn’t help but smile and know that with players like that Auburn will be back.
Check back soon as we will have a 2017 look-a-head post!
The post 2016 Auburn Softball Wrapup appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://bit.ly/1Y3yCRS
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment