Softball

There's not much to say about Sheridan's softball season. In fact, it was over 2 weeks ago and I don't think I made a post the entire season. Before the season there were 5 practices and two of them were cancelled. It was a pretty much a wierd schedule with 4 games two weeks in a row and then two weeks off and then another game. Highlights would include playing with her best friends Parker and Anna Grace. And, having a red jersey and team name "Razorbacks."

Pink Panthers

Hugging...

Hitting...

Out-Fielding...

That time of year

Softball Season. We are having Sheridan play up and skip a year of coach pitch. It's not because she's athletically superior..it's because we didn't know if we could get her to practices if she wasn't on a team with the neighbor! We are chasing Ryan around with High School Baseball and Lauren with High School Soccer (usually on the same night in different locations) and Erin is now swimming two nights a week.

Sheridan wanted to play and so she is.

Go Pink Panthers!!

The end of the Softball Saga

At the end of ball season, Richard invited our whole team to our house for an end-of-the-season party! He shopped and grilled, I directed the kids about cleaning up the house. It was one of the most fun gatherings we've ever had at our house!

Erin loving on a little sister.

Everyone had fun eating together, the girls swam, and we ended the night with a rousing game of Fat Bat in the front yard. I mean, no one wanted to go home. Many of the parents got up to play the last game. It was so fun!



We were definitely blessed this year with a great team of responsible and caring parents and precious girls. We pray our influence on them will be Christ-likeness and having fun with their families.

Softball Saga - No kidding!

Our regular season ended Thursday night with a loss to a great team. We hadn't seen anyone from our team in 12 days...because of our vacation. And we weren't sure just how on top of our game we were going to be.

The other team was a serious defensive force, and when we got hits (more than I would've bet on considering our off week) we were held to singles. We left the bases loaded one inning and at least another 4 on in other innings. Sheridan didn't hit well during her first two at bats. OK, she didn't hit at all. At her third AB, she went up to the plate left handed. I'm coaching first so I look at Richard (coaching 3rd) and he won't look at me! Ryan (pitching) is smiling, and even though Sheridan's back is to me, I can see her smiling! What are they thinking?? The bases are loaded, we're down by at least 8 and she's batting left for the first time all season??!?

This is what they were thinking...when we were playing fat bat on the beach last week Sheridan asked to hit left handed. Of course we let her and she hit it WAY out, over and over! We all laughed and remembered that was exactly how we learned that Lauren was a left handed hitter, even though everything else is right handed. When Lauren was about 5 she switched sides and has been swinging from that side ever since.

Back to the game...even though I'm mumbling..."I can't believe you're trying this now" and the parents on our team are looking back and forth from Richard to Sheridan waiting for him to turn her around...she hit a G-R-A-N-D S-L-A-M on the first pitch!

No kidding!




We lost 15-8, and our season record was 7-3.

Pray for Emily. She is on our team but can no longer play because she has an enlarged heart.

Softball Saga

When games for 5-6 year olds are scheduled for 7:30 (Sheridan's bedtime) we resort to drastic measures to stay pepped up! Sometimes the games are running late...and we don't start until around 8:00. Last time that happened, Rich and Ryan went to the grocery store down the street (allegedly for gum!) and came back with POPSICLES! The kids loved it...and they all had red lips to match their red t-shirts!!


I'm so thankful for my girls who love on all the kiddos in the dugouts. It's not always easy as some girls don't want to go in the field, but would rather drink from their gatorade or play in the dirt. Lauren and Erin add a lot to the team!


Some of the girls don't see each other at school and so they do a lot of girlish chatting, it's not so easy to get them focused!

Sheridan has been playing 3rd base. A lot of balls come that way, and we can usually get her attention so she can run to the right base if she stops the ball! I'm proud of her.

Our last two games haven't been so good. We're now 3-2 and it's getting more and more difficult to get the girls to pay attention. Hmmm.

Softball Saga 1

I'm going to call this a saga because by definition a saga is : 1) a medieval Scandinavian story of battles, legends, etc. 2) any long story of heroic deeds. Both of those might apply here.

OK, I admit that I had to use my persuasive muscle to recruit Richards's blessing on signing up Sheridan for softball. We have already been down this particular path with both Ryan and Lauren. We have been to hundreds of games and thousands of practices. We have been involved in up to 4 different competitive league teams. We have traveled out of town and out of state. And..we have t-shirts to prove it. That wasn't what was curbing our enthusiasm.

Sheridan is shy. Not really, but also not real gregarious either. She flat out refused to play soccer and so we had some hesitation. This will be a long story of heroic deeds...by us all.

Here's a copy of the e-mail I sent to grandparents after the first game and some pics.

Subject: Softball update

Sheridan's softball team update. 5-6 year olds, coach pitch. Our first game was tonight! Whew! Ryan, our pitcher, got out of soccer practice about 15 minutes BEFORE game time. Fortunately, the school is only 1.5 miles from the fields. Our uniforms are not in, but that was not stopping us. We scored 3 runs in the first inning and we had 4 hits. That's exactly 4 hits more than I thought we'd get in the entire game. Our girls listened (a truly amazing feat for 5 & 6 year olds) and ran and ran and ran. Fortunately, the other team couldn't catch and wasn't particularly looking to catch anything that did happen to come their way. We won, 7-6! The game was over exactly at 6:47, two minutes after 7 of our girls were to be at the Kindergarten Musical. Fortunately, the auditorium is only 1.5 miles from the fields. 3 of our girls had speaking parts...we all made it! The program started at 7:06 PM. Whew...that's an understatement.

Here I am giving the speech about the fact that the catepillars need to be left on the field to be with their families until after the game. They are very distracting to us all! Anyway, I told them they could get one after the game if their parents gave them permission and they proceeded to tell me Haley already had one in her bat bag!


Ryan is so good with kids! Here he is welcoming them all back in the dugout between innings. We did razz him about striking out his sister...twice!