Moving Forward...

I wish I had more to say, but sadly I really don't. We watched our hopes at winning our pool get a little harder as Friends found a way to out-score us, even though we out-hit them. It wasn't exactly a great way to begin our day. I've always had a "here and now" type of mentality, so to be honest, I'd rather post a blog about our future games rather than the one we've already played. Tomorrow we play SUNY-Canton, the fourth seed in our pool. After watching them play Cal. Baptist this afternoon, I feel confident that if we play errorless ball, and continue to find ways to score runs, we will even out our pool play record headed into Saturday's match-up. Nationals has a tendency to bring out both the best and the worst qualities in a team. We haven't had many games where we have played our best in all three aspects: pitching, defense, and hitting. We can't afford to do that from here on out. I hope you can find some time tomorrow afternoon to listen/watch our game against State University of New York-Canton at 3:30 PM.

Go Neers!

Love Always,
Taylor #21

One Last Practice

We woke up bright and early this morning to get one last practice in before we begin pool play tomorrow. We quickly learned that several teams had also decided to hold a practice at the same sports complex as us in Orange Beach, and needless to say, there definitely were not 32 fields to accomodate each one. Luckily there was a baseball field closeby that several teams shared, and each school took turns taking infield on the actual softball field, which had t-ball regulation bases and pitcher's circle. The weather here is definitely hotter than Kansas, but the humidity isn't quite as bad...at least not yet.

Lunch at Moe's BBQ was really good!! Not to discredit the famous barbeque places in Kansas City, but I just don't think anybody compares to places we've been to in the Southeast the last 2 years. Most of the girls went to the ocean once we got back to our condos, then it was off to the Opening Banquet and the "Parade of Champions" at The Wharf Resort. A great meal was provided as each qualifying team was recognized. Jordan was given the Champions of Character award, while she, Gale, and myself were named NAIA Scholar Athletes. Overall it was great day for Pioneer Softball.

MNU/Friends is the first game of the 2011 NAIA National Tournament. We know a lot about them, but they know a lot about us as well. It's going to be a great match-up, and hopefully we will walk away with our 39th win of the season. Game begins at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Check out links on mnusports.com to see how you can watch/listen!

Love Always,
Taylor #21

Hello Gorgeous Gulf Shores!!

I am happy to be writing this blog from our beautiful condos in Gulf Shores, Alabama!! We arrived around 1:00 this afternoon, and have been blessed with gorgeous sunny skies and a perfect view of the Gulf from our rooms. The bus ride was much more pleasant than I envisioned it being, since we chose to leave Monday evening and drive through the night. I remember falling asleep in St. Louis and not waking up until we crossed the Alabama state line. Charter buses just aren’t made for sleeping, unless you’re a contortionist I suppose. We made do with the space we had, though. We watched a wide variety of movies: Tangled, Friday Night Lights, Martian Child, and The Last Song. The 16 hour drive really did seem to fly by, and I am so glad we have an entire day to relax and enjoy our surroundings before getting a morning practice, followed by both the banquet and “Parade of Champions” tomorrow.

The team is healthy and ready to get back on the field, especially with the pool we’ve drawn for the National Tournament. Being the #2 seed is exciting, but we know that rankings don’t mean much in a place where every team is good. Babs told us at our last practice that every year, at least one #1 seed does not advance to the Elite Eight. How great would it be for us to upset not just the #1 seed in our pool, but also the #1 team in the nation? This entire season we have played with targets on our backs. The entire HAAC was thriving to beat MNU. Now, at the biggest stage in NAIA Softball, the pressure isn’t on us to win the pool—it’s on Cal. Baptist. Before we begin thinking of them, we have to prepare for our first opponent in Friends University (yes, we came all the way to Alabama to play a school from the same state as us). We’ve played some tough games against schools in their conference this season, so we know that they truly earned their right to be here. SUNY-Canton is a school we don’t know much about, but will hopefully get to scout later on Thursday when they play Cal. Baptist. MNU Softball isn’t just here to say, “Hey, we made it to Nationals. Good for us.” We know we can compete, and we are ready to shock the nation this week.

I’ll be updating this blog daily, so feel free to check back often. Time to go enjoy the beach with my teammates. Havin’ a day!!

Love Always,
Taylor #21

2011 HAAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS!!

I am sooooo excited to be writing this blog, and even more excited that I still have a few more to write when we go to GULF SHORES, ALABAMA for the 2011 NAIA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT next week!!! There will never be enough words to describe how proud I am of my teammates, and how blessed I am to be a Pioneer. It was such a relief to see each player step up when it mattered most this weekend. The Evangel game was a true test of our mental stamina, as we lost a 7-2 lead, but rallied back to score 4 more runs AND hold them the rest of the way. Our first meeting with CMU showed us that it is in fact possible to win a game on a single hit, and that defense actually does win ball games. The championship game against Central Methodist reminded me of why I decided to play softball in the first place. Never have I been a part of a team who wanted a win as much as we did that game. We knew what it meant, and we knew that we weren't ending our season any other way. As a senior, it means the world to me that I am guaranteed at least 3 more games of my career. Knowing that I will play my final game at the most prestigious event possible is such an awesome feeling. It goes without saying that it has been a GREAT YEAR TO BE A PIONEER!!

We have a week of practices before we leave on Monday, the 16th. We know what it takes to win at Nationals now, so I have all the confidence in the world that this team will be well-prepared for whomever we draw in pool play. If we play like we did this past weekend at the HAAC tournament, I have a great feeling we will be competing in the Elite Eight beginning on the 23rd, which just happens to be my birthday as well :) I am going to do my best to post daily blogs about our experience in Gulf Shores, and of course, our games at Nationals.

THANK YOU PIONEER NATION FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!! MNU Softball loves all of you!!

THE PIONEERS ARE BAMA BOUND...BACK TO BACK!!

Love Always,
Taylor #21

Final Four!!

We were blessed with having an "away" home game on Tuesday before beginning the first of round of the HAAC post season tournament. Because their fields were too wet, MO Valley came to Olathe to play us in the final regular season series of 2011. We needed to sweep them to claim the 2nd seed in the tournament, and I am happy to say we did just that.

Being the #2 team in the bracket meant we were to host #7 Benedictine for the second straight season. I must admit I was extremely nervous, considering their deceiving 10-10 conference record included victories over #1 Central Methodist, #3 Lindenwood, and us. On a warm, but windy day at Williams Field, pitching and simply putting the ball in play were all we needed to advance to Round 2 of playoffs. Jen pitched amazing in Game 1, keeping Benedictine from even threatening to score a run throughout the entire game. Babs had us work on reading pitches in the dirt at practice on Thursday, which really worked to our advantage in Game 2. It was bittersweet to see our final home game of the season (and the seniors' careers) come to an end, but what's more important is that MNU Softball is the Final Four of the 2011 HAAC Tournament!!

Central Methodist and Evangel also swept their 3-games against MO Valley and Baker, respectively. Lindenwood and William Jewell had to play 14 innings in Game 2 and 19 innings in the decisive Game 3 before Jewell came away with the series win.

We are going to prepare like no other for our first opponent of the double elimination tournament: Evangel. We split with them earlier in the season, but as every sports fan knows--stats and history go out the window when playoffs arrive. I know that Coach Babs will continue to use his scouting reports to help us prepare for all aspects of Evangel's game. We played them earlier in the season, so we know that they're not the same team...but neither are we.

I am so excited to get a couple of practices in this week while the weather is nice before making the trip to Fayette, Missouri to keep pursuing our goal of repeating as HAAC Tournament Champs. It's been a great week to be a Pioneer!!

MNU vs. Evangel - Friday, May 6th - 2:00 PM - Fayette, MO

Love Always,
Taylor #21

Havin' a Senior Day!!

As cliche as this sounds, the saying "all good things must come to an end" has been weighing heavy on my heart these last few days. I began playing softball when I was 5 years old, and I swear every memory I can recall of my career flashed before my eyes as we were warming up yesterday against Lindenwood on Senior Night. God answered my prayer to keep the rains away, but the cold temperatures and forceful wind made for an eventful evening at Williams Field. As expected, a lot was on the line for both teams. Coming in with the same number of losses as the current HAAC leader Central Methodist, either us or Lindenwood would be denied of repeating as regular season champions. I'll let you read the write up on www.mnusports.com for explicit details, but in sum--it can now be said that neither us, nor Lindenwood will finish #1 in the conference. A regular season championship does not define a team, though. Any athlete will tell you that. Our goal now is to sweep Missouri Valley on Monday and host the first round of playoffs next Friday and Saturday. As I said before, we are in great position to return to the NAIA National Championships in Alabama. A new season begins once post-season rolls around. Sadly, my fellow seniors and I can see the end of our careers drawing near. This blog is dedicated to them and what they have meant not just to MNU Softball, but to me as well...

Stephanie Jones #2 -- When I look at Steph, I am reminded of how far faith can take someone. I have come to know her on a deeper level in recent months, and have grown to appreciate her inner strength and perseverance, as this season has been one of constant struggle and setbacks for such a wonderful teammate and friend. I know that I will take all of the great advice she has given me to heart as I enter a world that will undoubtedly test me like this season has tested her. I met Steph as a new teammate, but I will say good-bye to her as an eternal friend.

Jennifer Costa #12 -- It would be hard to summarize in only a few sentences the impact Jen has had on my life in the short amount of time we have known one another, but here it goes. Never had I witnessed a more passionate love for the sport of softball before I met Jen. Since then, I have become even more dedicated to getting stronger in all aspects of the game. I've had a companion there to throw me extra batting practice, help me become a better defensive player, and continue to encourage me of how much progress I make every day. I have no doubt that Jen will continue to achieve greatness and success in whatever direction her life's path leads her.

Ashley Salter #15 -- This girl has given me more reasons to laugh and smile than anyone I have ever known. Her contagious free-spirited personality has helped me get through some of the hardest times I've ever had while at MNU. I know that no matter what is going on, Salty will always give me a reason to see the good--and even the funny--side of it. I hope that I can begin to look at life the way she does: with a carefree and fun-loving attitude. I will always admire her commitment and dedication to MNU Sports, and will be forever grateful for the support her family has provided not only us with every season, but also her since she first picked up a softball.

Emily True #24 -- I am extremely blessed for this person, not just as a "pick me up" on the field, but most importantly, for the everlasting friendship I will share with her once our final game has been played. In every moment I have been hurt or lost, True has been right there by my side. I will always remember the memories we've shared and the seemingly ridiculous things we love to laugh about on a daily basis. I cannot even describe how much she and her family have inspired me in the small amount of time I have known them. I will miss her so much when we say good-bye, but I know in my heart that our friendship does not end when our softball careers do.


"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other with us." -Unknown

How blessed I am to have people who make saying good-bye so hard.

Love Always,
Taylor #21

It's Not Over...

I just noticed where my last blog post came when we were still undefeated in the Heart of America Athletic Conference...two weeks ago. I guess I have a lot to catch everyone up on then :)

Despite coming from behind twice to defeat Central Methodist at our place, we were dealt a shocking defeat to Baker, who is by far the most underestimated team in the conference. Luckily after losing a heartbreaker in 10 innings by one run, our bats woke up and helped us prevail in Game 2 to earn a split. Non-conference wins against Bethany a few days later helped us gain momentum heading into an 8-game week to come. William Jewell didn't let their first game loss to us phase them, as they took us to a 9-inning, one run loss on our own field. The following day we travelled to Springfield, MO to play Evangel, whom we hadn't seen since ending their season and run at Nationals in dramatic fashion last year in the second round of playoffs. We easily came away with a win in Game 1, and seemed to have Game 2 won before they scored 5 unanswered runs to come from behind and hand us our third conference loss of the 2011 season. Things didn't get much better the next day as we went to Ottawa for a couple of games. Thankfully, after watching another lead diminish and result in a loss, we responded like no other with a 15-1 run-rule victory. Sporting pink jerseys in honor of cancer awareness on Saturday, we were finally able to get a sweep against another non-conference opponent in William Woods University.

Which leaves me to where Pioneer Softball is right now...27-8 overall, and 9-3 in the Heart. We are blessed that our chances of repeating as HAAC Champions are still very much alive. Like last year though, we need some other teams to help us out. We also need to go undefeated from this moment forward. My, how that sounds so familiar :) If anyone has ruled MNU out of the 2011 HAAC Championship race, I strongly encourage you to reconsider until the final out has been made at the end of the season. So much can still happen, and I know that my teammates and coaches have all the faith in the world that great things are still in store for the red, white, and blue...and pink to an extent ;)

This week is nothing but away conference games: Benedictine on Tuesday, Avila on Thursday, and Missouri Valley on Saturday. Hopefully our chances at finishing #1 will be significantly increased come Sunday morning, and that we will be well prepared for our final home game--Senior Night :'(--against another rival, and current HAAC leader Lindenwood next Tuesday the 19th.

Love Always,
Taylor #21