MONKS INSIDER: Alyssa Dunn '11 - Final Entry

Monday, 3/21, 12:25 AM:

WE MADE IT! We are officially back in Maine! This is my last blog for the Monks Insider as the 2011 spring training trip has come to an end. I had intended to write during our layover in Atlanta, but our first flight left a little late and we ended up having no layover at all - hence, the late posting.

Back in Fort Myers Florida earlier today, we made the most of our last day in the sunshine state. Most of us got up at a decent hour, especially after the late night last night, in order to catch the hotel's breakfast before it closed. After that, some girls hung out by the pool and some girls hit up the Nike outlet store one last time. We had to leave the hotel by 2pm so we packed up our remaining clothes (the ones that didn't get sent home in the bus with Coach Smyth) and headed out. We got to the airport very early, since our flight didn't leave until 5:30pm. A lot of us slept at the airport, got food, or got massages from our athletic trainer, Tiff, in order to pass the time.

Both of the flights went well and most of us read magazines or slept to keep ourselves busy. We finally got back to Maine around 10:30pm-11:00pm and were happy to be greeted by our favorite bus driver, Rodney. After getting our checked baggage, we loaded up the coach bus and made it back to school just around midnight. Despite the much colder weather (and the forecast of snow tomorrow!) the team is happy to be back in Maine. We have Monday and Tuesday off from practice, but then we will be back at it again on Wednesday to get prepared for probably our hardest game of the season on Saturday (against Emerson).

I hope you have enjoyed keeping up with us over the trip and we look forward to seeing all our loyal fans at the first game of our regular season. Remember to wear your royal blue! GO MONKS!

PHOTOS

Saturday, 3/19 6:43 PM:

There was no sleeping in for us this morning as we all had to be up at 6am for a 7am departure. We had our last two games of the trip today at 9am and 1pm against the College of Wooster and Wisconsin Oshkosh, respectively.

The first game against Wooster was a good battle. We've typically beaten this team by quite a lot in past years, but this year the game was a lot closer. They had a pitcher that liked to throw the high ones and we just couldn't lay off of them - leading us into a lot of strike-outs and pop flies. Kiera Walsh pitched the first six innings and did an excellent job, only allowing one run to score. Lindsay Moore, Emily Leverone and I all had RBI's to give us a 3-1 lead. Madylan Kluna came in to pitch the last inning and no runs were scored, making it an SJC victory.

The next game against Oshkosh was also a good game, but the intensity on the bench just was not 100 percent. We went back and forth with no runs for a couple of innings thanks to great pitching by Rae Copan, but eventually they got the clutch hits when they needed them. They ended up scoring three runs over the course of the game (they had a very solid batting line-up) and we just could not get our on-base batters around. I think we were exhausted from the week of heat and softball so we lacked the drive to battle back offensively. We ended up losing the game 3-0, but I think on a different day we could have beaten the Wisconsin team.

So we ended the trip with a 7-3 overall record, which is the best Florida record we have had in my four years here. I am very satisfied with how the trip turned out and am kind of looking forward to making it back home to the SJC community. I am so excited for this season to start and can't wait to see what the new freshmen do and how many more records Emily Leverone shatters. Tonight we are celebrating a great trip with dinner and shopping at Fort Myers beach. Our flight doesn't leave until late tomorrow so we get to sleep in and enjoy a day in the sun before making it back up north. I'll be writing my last blog tomorrow so tune in to see how our flight goes. That's all for tonight, my team is waiting for me so I must go. Have a good night all and GO MONKS!

PHOTOS

Friday, 3/18 9:00 PM:

Despite an upsetting loss last night, we showed no signs of letting up at our afternoon games today. The first game was against North Park (IL) at 11am and we had a grudge against them before the game even started. After they made us move all of our equipment to the other side of the field so they could have "their side," we came out all fired up. We battled hit for hit with them and found ourselves tied with them by the sixth inning 2-2. We were in a scary situation when they had runners on second and third with no outs. Rae-Marie Copan and Connie Grovo were both hit ground balls and they threw the runners out both times at home to keep the opposing team from scoring. In addition, catcher Jill Howard was an absolute brick house, using her body to keep the North Park girls from sliding into home. With time winding down, we had our last chance in the game to try to score some runs. As Coach Smyth said, "Emily Leverone didn't want to play more than seven innings of softball" and hit a clutch homerun to give us a 3-2 lead. Rae Copan was able to finish off her great effort on the mound and we ended up winning the game.

Game 2 against Amherst was a tough battle as well. The team had a lot of solid left-handed hitters, slap-bunters and a pitcher with a lot of movement. Madylan Kluna, once again, pitched a great game. Offensively, hitters were able to adjust to the pitcher and almost everyone got a hit. Notable hitters were Heather Tripp, Connie Grovo, and Lindsay Moore (who hit her first collegiate home run). There were a few times where the Amherst team got a few runs that made us a little uneasy, but key defensive plays and a variety of pitches from Maddie made it impossible for them to pull ahead of us. We ended up winning the game 8-4, giving us an overall record of 6 wins and 2 losses.

After the games, we took our annual team picture at the fountain of the Twins Stadium today. A lot of the girls hopped into the fountain after and splashed around because it was so hot out. We rushed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner at the Vannah household. On the menu was chop suey, mac n cheese, pasta salad, and frozen yogurt pie (yum!). Jill Howard did cannonballs and belly flops into the pool as everyone else got splashed and winced in pain watching her, haha. After being stuffed beyond belief with food, we rode back to the hotel for the night. (We just got back, which again is why I am writing so late). Some of the girls are heading out to the shopping mall about 100 yards from our hotel and others are packing up their suitcases for coach to take home with him tomorrow on the school bus (we don't want to have to pay the airplane fee, haha).

As far as the softball aspect goes, I could not be happier with how this season is going so far. We are so lucky to have four talented freshmen join us this year - which was evident in our battles today. Rae Copan is a force to be reckoned with on the mound, Jill Howard is a monster behind the plate, Lindsay Moore is a solid shortstop (and hitter!), and Connie Grovo can lay down a bunt consistently like I've never seen before. Everyone is getting better with each game and we are working out the small kinks so we will be ready for our regular season games at home. We have two games tomorrow that we are getting mentally prepared for tonight, then it is back to Maine on Sunday. Hopefully we'll be bringing back an 8-2 record to all our faithful fans. That's all for now. Go Monks!

PHOTOS

Thursday, 3/17 10:12 PM:

Sorry about the late blog but it was a long day for the lady Monks and we just arrived back from the hotel from our two night games. The team got up around 9am this morning for breakfast at the hotel before beginning our day. It was another sunny day in Fort Myers, Florida and Madylan Kluna, Kayla Vannah, Kiera Walsh, and Sarah Fournier started their morning off by parasailing over the ocean. The rest of us hit up the Tanger Outlet Stores for some bargain shopping. Lunch consisted of either Subway sandwiches or our left over pasta dinners from the Olive Garden (which - I must say - is just as good two days later as it is fresh haha). The rest of the afternoon was again spent by the pool next to the University of New England softball team (who is staying at the same hotel as us).

Around 4pm we loaded up the vans and headed off to Lee County for our two night games. The first game was against Curry College who could not get their bats around for Madylan Kluna's mix of pitches. We went neck and neck with them for the first two innings before breaking out the bats. Key plays were executed, bunts were laid down perfectly, and we kept getting hit after hit on any pitcher Curry threw in. We finished the first game on a high note, winning 9-3 against the Curry College Colonels.

Our momentum from the first game, however, did not seem to carry over into the second. We had a humbling 9-1 loss against the Diplomats of Franklin and Marsh College. Senior pitcher Kiera Walsh pitched a great game, but the other team got comfortable with her pitching and seemed to hit the ball in all the gaps. Again, there were a lot of defensive errors that put us into a hole we just couldn't get out of. Sophomore Kayla Vannah came in to close the game, but offensively we just couldn't get any runners on base. Unlike their team, it seemed like all of our hits were directed right to their gloves - we just couldn't get any in the gaps. The only run scored was a homerun shot off the bat of - who else - Emily Leverone. The single run was not enough and we fell short to suffer our second loss of the trip.

Overall, it was a long day and we are just happy to be back at the hotel. A couple of the girls ran to Burger King for a late, nutritional dinner and the rest of us are showering up for the night. We are looking forward to the season finale of Jersey Shore that's airing tonight that we'll be watching as a team. Other than that, we are just laying low and getting rested up for our games tomorrow. We'll be back at it again at 1 and 3 tomorrow. ONE UNIT. ONE GOAL. ONE TEAM. Go Monks!

PHOTOS

Wednesday, 3/16 9:13 PM:

Today was our day off, but we all got up at a decent hour so we could catch breakfast before heading off to the beach. We departed for sunny Fort Myers Beach around 10:30am and didn't arrive until almost 11:30am because the traffic was so bad. We didn't let that kill our mood though - we made the best of the situation and jammed out in our vans to music while other cars driving by smiled and laughed at us. The beach was HOT and a lot of the girls spent most of their time in the water playing with the Smyth children and throwing a Frisbee around. The rest of the time at the beach was spent lying around, eating at nearby restaurants, and shopping at all the stores along the streets.

Later in the afternoon we came back to the hotel and cleaned up before heading off to a team dinner at the Labbe/Kluna household. On the menu were hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, pasta salad, dessert pizza, and so much more (anyone who knows the softball parents knows that there was PLENTY of food there, haha). Trainer Tiff and Anna Willis were getting all the knots out of everyone's backs while a few of us went in the hot tub. Natasha Howard was having a conversation with me standing on the side of the pool and accidentally took a step backwards - falling right into the pool. It was the funniest moment of the night.

We just got back to the hotel rooms from dinner (which is why I am posting this so late) and are all getting into our suits to go down to the hot tub. A few of the girls are being responsible and getting their homework done tonight (for all those parents reading!). We don't have games until 5 and 7pm tomorrow so there is no early curfew tonight. We are excited to have the whole day tomorrow to do whatever we want and not have to play in the mid-day heat.

I am going to go join my ladies in the hot tub now, but I look forward to updating you all tomorrow. It will probably be another late night blog because we will not be getting back to the hotel from our games until well after 9pm. Have a good night!

PHOTOS

Tuesday, 3/15 7:13 PM:

Today everyone enjoyed sleeping in. A lot of us got up just in time to make breakfast and then went and laid out in the morning sun for an hour before getting ready for our afternoon games. Today was our first games at the Lee County Sports Complex. Freshman Rae Copan pitched an excellent game and the offensive line-up did their part to back her up with some hits. Pretty much every player had an offensive contribution off of the Washington State pitcher, which led to our 9-1 run-rule win over their team. I was very satisfied with this win because Washington State (despite what the score says) was a solid team.

The second game did not go quite the same. Kayla Vannah pitched an excellent game, but a few defensive errors in the first two innings gave Worcester State a 4-0 lead over us. The rest of the game we did not allow any runs, but offensively we could not get any runners on to get back in the lead. My solo home run in the fifth inning made the final score 4-1. As upset as we were to lose our first game down here, we took it as a learning experience and are anxious to get back out there again on Thursday (we have a day off tomorrow).

As for tonight, we have spent the past 3 hours (yes, three hours haha) getting ready for our nice annual dinner out to the Olive Garden. As I type, Madylan Kluna is putting makeup on Caitlin Schrum and Maria Labbe is perfecting Natasha Howard's hair. We are leaving in 20 minutes so I have to polish off my own look before the vans depart. I will try to post pictures of our lovely team when we get back! We clean up so nice!

PHOTOS

Monday, 3/14 7:52 PM:

Today our team kicked off the 2011 season with two excellent wins. After having breakfast at the hotel, we headed off to our 9 and 11am games at the Cape Coral fields. The first team we played was UMass Dartmouth. Kiera Walsh pitched a great game and freshman Rae Copan came in at the end for a strong finish. Offensively, almost everyone was getting a piece of the opponent pitcher. Jill Howard was anything but shy at the plate, smashing the ball all over the place in her Saint Joseph's College debut. Heather Tripp collected her first college home run in her first at bat and went on to get on base each time after that. We went on to run-rule the team with a 9-1 win.

The second team we played, Kenyon College, was a very talented team and we battled neck to neck with them. Junior pitcher Madylan Kluna was throwing a variety of pitches that kept their team off balance the entire game. Any hits they produced were quickly shut down by our defense, including key plays by Lindsay Moore and Connie Grovo. Emily Leverone, better known to the SJC community as "Masher", had a golden glove in the outfield making catch after catch and even robbing a Kenyon player's homerun. We went on to win that tight-fought battle 2-0.

After the satisfying wins, the team split up and did their thing. Some of the girls went shopping, some went out with their parents, some went to a Red Sox vs. Yankees game, and some played a game of football in the hotel pool. A bunch of us walked to Coldstone Creamery and hit up the Bell Tower Outdoor Mall. Not sure about our plans tonight - some of the girls are going out to the movies and others are trying to get the coaches to bring them to Fort Myers beach for the night. We are all excited to catch up on some sleep and even "sleep in" tomorrow since we have afternoon games against Washington College and Worcester State.

Overall, an excellent start to our trip and I'm looking forward to a successful year with a great group of talented girls.

Sunday, 3/13 8:26 PM:

The day we had all been anxiously awaiting for finally came after weeks of mundane practices indoors. We were all anxious to fly to the sunshine state and get on the dirt field; in fact, Kirin Schrum, Heather Tripp, and Danielle Leavitt were so excited that they didn't even bother going to bed last night before our flight this morning.

We were all greeted by our favorite bus driver, Rodney, and his "equalize 'em" speech. We got to the airport around 6am (after a little hold up from Kiera Walsh and manager, Sarah Fournier haha) and made it through security fairly smoothly. The airplane rides were entertaining; especially with Jill Howard clutching onto my arm every time the plane experienced even the slightest turbulence. Kayla Vannah was so excited that the flight attendant told her to quiet down so the other passengers could have a peaceful ride, haha.

Soon enough, we arrived in 75 degree weather and made it to the hotel. The entire team didn't even try to unpack upon our arrival - we just dug our bathing suits out of our luggage and went straight to the pool. Coach Ashley Woodcock got thrown into the pool (like she does every year), Cynthia Wescott did her infamous cannonballs, and Maria Labbe and Madylan Kluna played with Coach Smyth's kids. Around 3:30pm, we all gathered into the vans and went out to eat at the Crispers sandwich shop before our first practice on dirt. Practice, for the most part, went pretty well. We had a bunch of spectators because there was a pick-up game playing before us and they decided to stay and watch us. Girls were getting used to the weird hops the balls were making in the dirt and the sun shining in our eyes. Most of us were just getting the final kinks out before our first two games tomorrow.

Our team huddle was intense at the end of practice and I could sense people were very excited to kick off our season in the morning. After practice, we went to Target and got groceries for the week before heading back to the hotel for the night. Most of us unpacked and got settled in. We'll be going to bed early for our games at 9:00am and 11:00am tomorrow. That's all for now until tomorrow night, it's been a pretty tiring day of traveling on little sleep. Tune in for our outcomes against UMass Dartmouth and Kenyon College. GO MONKS!

PHOTOS

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STANDISH, ME – Three Saint Joseph's College athletes have agreed to share their experiences, on the field and off, during their respective spring break trips.

Alyssa Dunn '11 (Standish, ME), the starting first baseman and captain for the SJC softball team, Ross Hardaway '11 (East Boston, MA), a team captain and midfielder on the men's lacrosse squad, and Chad Rafferty '13 (Keene, NH), a starting pitcher for the Monks baseball team, will provide daily blog entries during their travels next week.

Dunn and the softball team depart for Fort Myers, Florida this coming Sunday and will play a 10-game docket in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic Tournament next week, beginning with contests versus Mass.-Dartmouth and Kenyon College on March 14th. The Monks return from the Sunshine State on Sunday, March 20th.

Hardaway and the men's lacrosse team will travel to Maryland for a pair of games over spring break. The Monks will face off against Hood College on March 12th and Frostburg State on March 14th during the week-long trip. Off the field interests include sight-seeing in Washington D.C.

Rafferty and the baseball team head south on Saturday and kick off a nine-game slate in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational Tournament with a doubleheader against Curry College the following day.

The Monks Insider link can be found on the right-hand side of all GOMONKS.com pages and all blog entries will be posted on the respective team pages during the trips