Congratulations to the Year 7 Girls Softball Team
SSV State Softball Finals - Year 7 Girls
Thursday 23rd November was the day we had been training for since term 2. It was the SSV State Softball Finals and we were ready. With our two Year 10 coaches in hand, Alanna and Sierra, we were ready to leave it all on the diamond. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Our draw saw us play Alamanda College and Viewbank College in very challenging conditions as the weather was extremely hot. Our pitching and catching duo, Aliya and Ashleigh, pitched and caught each game without complaint, Phoebe took a stellar catch to stop all runs coming in, Alicia managed to tag out two players at second base and they were just a few highlights. Our batting and base running was what won the two games for us. The girls beat Alamanda 11-8 and Viewbank 10-6, which secured their spot in the grand final. Glen Waverley were too good in the end, however, the girls gave it their all and came away as runners up at the SSV State finals all receiving medals.
A huge thank you to our supporters and cheer squad - Alicia’s mum and her grandparents, and Aliya’s mum and dad. It meant the world to us having you there supporting us in the grand final, even if the weather turned on us.
For those of you who don’t know, these girls have been training since term 2 - rain and shine. For some, they have been training twice a week to improve their batting and pitching. We have had Year 10 students, who played in the state finals in May, assist during trainings and help teach rules and strategies- thank you Taylor, Ashleigh, Sierra and Alanna for giving up your time. The commitment and teamwork these girls have displayed throughout the year has been exceptional.
Congratulations to the Year 7 Softball Girls who are the SSV Runners Up. You are all stars and I am very proud of each and every one of you.
Aliya - Pitcher
Ashleigh - Catcher
Tess - First base
Phoebe - Second base
Erin - Third base
Emma L - Short stop
Alicia - Second Base
Emma G - Outfield
Kate - Outfield
Dahlia - Outfield
Maani - Outfield
Keely - Outfield
Keira McLean
Softball Coach
A Reflection
What a great way to end the softball season! All the hard work and many practises with our amazing coaches - Ms McLean, Alanna and Sierra - must have paid off because coming second in the whole state of Victoria is a pretty big deal! It started off with division. We were nervous in that game because it was our first time playing together but we pulled through and won!
The next round was regionals. We didn't expect to win so we planned on just having fun. We did end up losing the final game by just one point however one week later we got a call saying that a team pulled out of state so we got to go! The whole team, especially Ms McLean, was ecstatic. It was then that we trained at lunches and after school for months in order to prepare for states.
When the 23rd of November finally came around, it was off to states we went! The fun bus ride to Jells park was just the very beginning of an amazing day. Luckily we arrived early with plenty of time to prepare and warm up. The first team we played was Alamanda College and we had an amazing game! We came off with a great win. We were so happy and proud of ourselves but knew we had to win the next game to advance to the grand finals. It was an exciting game and we almost gave Ms McLean a heart attack but thankfully we played as a team and won against Viewbank College much to Ms McLean’s delight.
We had a 2 hour wait before the finals which gave us plenty of time to rest and of course eat a lot of sugar! After hours of waiting in the heat it was time for our final game against Glen Waverley College. Even though we somehow got caught in a rainstorm, the water didn’t dampen our spirits and we powered on to the finish.
Although we had an amazing loss of 14-1 there was not a disappointed face on the team because we knew we had all done Ms McLean and the school proud. We want to just say a huge thank you to Alanna and Sierra in Year 10 for their commitment in coaching, supporting and helping out the team! Great job to the fantastic team of Kate, Alicia, Tess, Emma G, Emma L, Dahlia, Erin, Phoebe, Ashleigh, Maani, Keely and myself (Aliya).
Aliya Gray
Year 7B