girls softball 2019: inside making history

Inside Making History

There are so many traditions that I could name that the Cranberry Softball Team has adhered to in the 2018-2019 season. 

We have lettuce in a container that we saved from breakfast before our first playoff game that, although it is moldy, serves us well as the lucky lettuce. It’s lived in our shortstop’s fridge for several weeks during our postseason run. 

We have an old, tie-dye hat that was picked up off the side of the road by one of our seniors, and it now resides on the fence inside of every dugout we’ve played in. That stupid hat was thrown out the bus window, yet we went back for it because it meant that much. 

We keep a bowl that contained spinach artichoke dip that came from an Applebee’s that we ate at after our first state playoff win next to the lucky lettuce in a goodluck shrine of sorts. 

Alongside the lucky lettuce is a playing card, the seven of spades, that we found on the dugout floor before one practice, and it too became a good luck charm.

We always scream our signature cheer, “Razoo,” before every single game, attempting to rock the field with only the sound of our voices. 

But the tradition that stands out the most to me today is the tradition of listening to the song “Landslide” by the Dixie Chicks on the very last bus ride home of the season. 

It’s not until this song resonated through the bus and tear drops roll that I truly realized how remarkable of a team I have been blessed with. 

From the outside, we may look like a fierce bunch of girls, but on the inside, we are so much more. 

When I asked Andrea Watson if she had anything to say after today’s heartbreaking loss, she responded, “I know everyone says the ideal softball team should have an unbreakable bond and act as a family. This team is the strongest family I know of. I’m so proud to be a part of it. We did it together. Every single person gave one hundred percent effort, and I’m glad we could make school history.” 

And that’s exactly the feat that CHS Softball was able to do this year: go farther in the state tournament than any team has ever gone before. 

To be quite honest, we struggled in the beginning of the season with injury, illness, and just downright tough losses. Before the postseason, we stood with a record of 15-5.

“We have faced so much adversity, but we never let that get to us,” explained Malliah Schreck. “We would not have reached as far as we have without every single person on our team. They all contribute so much and so do the coaches. Without them this would not have been possible. I would not have wanted to accomplish this with any other team!” 

Cranberry seemed to assume the underdog role, but that’s exactly how we like it. At the beginning of the year, we weren’t even sure if we would win the D9 Championship. 

“I would have giggled if someone told me at the beginning of the season we would make it to the final four in the state. We had some issues and road blocks we had to get past at the beginning,”

said Rachel McCauley. 

And that seemed to be the general consensus. No one on the team ever envisioned us making it this far.