[Alsfastball] University of Ottawa Softball - women

[Al Doran]

From: "Scott Searle" <scotts_43 at hotmail.com>
To: fastball at pmihrm.com
Subject: University of Ottawa Softball
Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 03:44:02 +0000






The University of Ottawa Softball team clinched a playoff spot over the 
weekend as they competed in Bryon against Western, Windsor, Waterloo, 
Queens and Carleton.  They lost their first two games of the year against 
Waterloo and Western, and won against Queens, Carleton and Windsor.  The 
team also appeared in The Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa newspaper last 
week.  All updates from last weekend are on our website so please check 
regulalry.  We host our only home games Oct 15-16 at Alexander Grove Park 
in Stittsville, come cheer us on as we look for our second OIWFA Championship!

<http://www.thefulcrum.ca/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1045&Itemid>http://www.thefulcrum.ca/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1045&Itemid=

Sports: Playing into October: The Gee-Gees fastpitch team hopes to bring in 
another league champions
print


Written by Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Fulcrum Contributor

Playing into October
The Gee-Gees fastpitch team hopes to bring in another league champions

ONE OF THE University of Ottawa's most successful sports teams, the 
Gee-Gees fastpitch team is off to another strong season. The team looks to 
be in good shape to win their second championship in four years. Just two 
tournaments into their season, the girls have proven they can compete with 
the best in Ontario. According to head coach Gil Read, the team came 
together even before its first game action.

"You have to go back to the tryout," Read explains. "It was a gruelling 
weekend for the players."

In planning the tryout, the coach-ing staff put together a 
physically-demanding schedule. During the mornings and afternoons, 
attendees worked on skills and fundamentals, and afterwards played a 
ten-inning game. After three days, it became clear which players belonged 
on the team.

"The competition was tough, but we had to bring the team down to a 
manageable size. For example, there were five worthy pitchers at the 
tryout, but we could only take four," Read said.

But along with the many new players comes a new coaching staff. Read has 
stepped into the role of head coach. Recently, Read played the same role 
for the Ontario men's fastpitch team at the Canada Games, and was team 
leader for the women's fastpitch team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Scott Searle, a member of the coaching staff since the team's inception, 
remains an assistant coach. Donna Price, a well-known coach in the Ottawa 
area, has also joined the team. Dave Tubman, who has played on the national 
level and has coached at the international level, rounds out the 
competitive sport club's staff.

The staff chose 15 players to represent the Gee-Gees in tournaments around 
the province. The large roster is due to the fact that players' schedules 
often conflict with tournaments.

"Every athlete at the university is also a student, and academics always 
come first," Read mentioned. For Read, no student-athlete should ever be 
forced to compromise their academic standing. With two practices a week and 
a hectic fall schedule, players are challenged to excel both on and off the 
field.

The players are having very little trouble adjusting to a new season.

Among the assortment of returning players are pitchers Lindsey Hutton and 
Ashley Sands, who were successful last year in helping the team win their 
division. Their main goal was defending their 2003 provincial title. In the 
end, they fell just short in the final tournament they hosted at the RA 
Centre, near Billings Bridge Mall.

At the first weekend of competit-ion, the Gee-Gees travelled to Napanee for 
their first Ontario Intercollegiate Women's Fastpitch Association (OIWFA) 
tournament. The team played against its counterparts from Queen's 
University, York University, the University of Guelph, and the University 
of Toronto.

The only real test came from the University of Toronto, as the Gees blew 
away the Golden Gaels, Lions, and Gryphons in order. All pitchers were 
utilized, including newcomers Lynn Kearns and Jill Taylor. Sands faced a 
stoic Toronto team who seemed determined to claim early bragging rights.

But the game was tied after the full seven innings, leading to extra 
innings and a tiebreak. In a tiebreak, each bats with a runner placed at 
second base to start the inning. In the end, the Gee-Gees came out on top.

"We were able to advance our runner, they were not," Read described simply.

The solid start comes as no surprise, as many of the players are returning 
from last year, looking for revenge against the reigning champions from 
Guelph. Over the next few weeks, the Gee-gees will travel to St. Catharines 
and London before returning to Ottawa for a tournament on Oct. 15 and 16.

The following week they will travel to Guelph for the season-ending 
championship. It is there that they hope to reclaim the title of provincial 
champion that belonged to this school in the fall of 2003.



Scott Searle

<mailto:Ottawausoftball at hotmail.com>Ottawausoftball at hotmail.com

613-837-0787




http://www.eteamz.com/ottawaufastpitch

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