26
April 22, 1999
Sports
Softball's seniors: Still going out with style
Troy Adams
The Pendulum
Ground ball after ground
ball—they keep plugging away.
Cleat to the shin, twisted knee,
hit by a pitch, cuts, bruises, blood,
sweat and tears—they keep plug
ging away.
8-0 wins or 0-8 losses—they
keep plugging away.
The Elon softball team is
sUiiggling. Struggling, but still kick
ing, fighting and screaming.
On the verge of the worst
season in recent memory, the soft
ball team is still taking its swings at
some sort of success.
But for five softball players,
there will be no more swings.
No more foul balls off the
toes (*#@$!). No more base hits
after fouling five straight pitches to
stay in the box.
“It’s kinda sad knowing that I
won’t ever play again —not as com
petitive as it’s supposed to be,” se
nior Jen Warren said. “It’ll be just
for fun now.
“I won’t play with this team
that I’ve played with ever again.
We’ll never be out there together.”
For the time they did spend
on East Field together, they ’ ve made
the most of it.
Holly Briel, Kelly Lloyd and
Evie Benson have been playing soft
ball all four years at Elon. Warren
began playing her sophomore year.
All four will graduate in May.
Colleen Lally will be forgo
ing her senior year to student teach.
So, while not graduating, this will
be her last season also.
But for the four seniors, they
have seen and done it all.
They have went from playing
eams like Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne,
Wingate and Gardner-Webb to
eams such as UNC-Chapel Hill
and beating them), Virginia, Geor-
Wf
giaTech and nationally ranked Uni
versity of Southern Florida.
“It’s a whole different cal iber
of ball,” Briel said.
On top of that, the players
have seen Elon’s NCAA affiliation
change, head coaches change and
drastic improvements in their play
ing field.
In 1995-
96 when the cur
rent seniors first
arrived. East
Field had
benches for
dugouts,afence
backstop, no
lining on the
fence surround
ing the field and
no bullpen.
Now it
has the bullpen,
the fence lining
and both brick
dugouts and a
concrete back
stop.
“Then it
really was pretty
crappy,” Briel
said. “Now, it’s
really a beauti
ful field.
“Only three players have been
through (all these changes). Only
three have played with four differ
ent classes of people.”
Players have come and gone
over the years and now it’s time for
these seniors to go. But in between
coming and going, they sure have
left a mark.
Lloyd, who plays shortstop,
currently holds 15 Elon records and
is only one RBI and 13 assists away
from making that total 17.
Aside from her records,
though, she is also a leader both on
and off the field.
“She’s probably like our
Emily MacDonnell/T/ie Pendulum
Senior Kelly Lloyd is one
of four seniors for the
Fightin’ Christians. She
holds 15 Elon records and
is set to break two more.
mother,” junior pitcher Gina
Krueger said. “If anyone has a ques
tion, they go to Kelly. She’s gonna
know what to do.”
Briel has filled in every roll
possible for the Fightin’ Christians.
She has caught, played right field,
center field and filled in at short
stop.
And she
loves every
minute of it.
“I’ve
played more po
sitions in this sea
son than in many
years com
bined,” she said.
“I kinda like it.
Sometimes it
gets boring play
ing the same po
sition. It’s good
to have change
for me on the
field
sometimes...buti
love to catch.”
There is
much more than
just Elon softball
to these players
lives, though.
And while their
collegiate experience is ending, it’s
not the end of it all.
In a weird sort of way, these
players are all c(mnected outside of
Elon.
Briel has filled in for Lloyd,
her roomate, at shortstop. Shortstop
is the position she plays in summer
league ball. The only other senior to
play intense summer ball is War
ren. She plays for a very popular
and prestigious summer program,
The Shamrocks.
Both player’s teams compete
in the Amateur Softball Associa
tion (ASA).
Warren and Briel will con
E_l_ON COL.1_El.GE_, rsic
Join WSOE in wishing the Class of 1999 the best of luck on our
Senior Send-Off show! Dedicate any song to a friend in the senior
class! The show will air on Wednesday, May 12 beginning at 12 p.m.
Dedications can be made at the WSOE webpage at
http://www.elon.edu/wsoe or mail this form to Campus Box 6000.
Song Dedicated To: ■
Song Title:
Artist/Group:
Song Dedicated By:
tinue softball after college in that
extent, while Lloyd will try to play
professionally. But Briel is also try
ing to get Lloyd to play ASA ball
this summer.
“We have the same love for
the game,” Briel said. “That’s hard
to find because at this level espe
cially it often becomes more of al
job, just time consuming.”
It’s hard to replace the con
nections these four have made on
and off the field, both among them
selves and with their younger team
mates.
“(Holly and I) just clicked,”
Warren said. “We knew when each
other would get the ball. A lot of
times, it’s hard to find someone
who you don’t have to say anything
to and you still know they’ll get the
ball.”
“Ever since I’ve been here,
Kelly, Jen and Holly have been on
the field every time I’ve been out
there,” Krueger said. “They are big
leaders, girls who drive and moti
vate everybody. They are all really
knowledgable of the game and know
their positions really well.”
Warren is revered by her
teammates as one of the most de
pendable and consistent players.
Briel is described as intense and one
the best utility players Elon has ever
seen. Lloyd is talented, dedicated
and helpful.Benson is leads by ex
ample and Lally puts things in per
spective and focus.
All five will go out winners,
no matter what the record says. And
each will both take part of Elon
softball with them, and leave part of
themselves here as well.
“The number one thing that
has made Elon a true college expe
rience has been the grat personal
bonds I’ve made with my team
mates,” Lloyd said, “It’s been my
niche in life here.
(Softball) has been my happy
getaway from stresses. It’s the point
of the day I look forward to. I
wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
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