We won our first two ball games on the new field today! Becky Anderson got the win in Game 1. We were down 3 runs and came back to win 4-3. Brianne Pease got the win in Game 2 as we cruised to a 10 - 1 victory in 5 innings. Rachael Davies hit her first homerun of the year in Game 2.

I thought overall we looked a lot more comfortable than we did last weekend. Defensively we played better but still need to play catch better. We swung the bat well and had pretty good at bats all day. We made some baserunning mistakes and left a few runs on the field but all in all we keep getting better everyday.

A couple of pics from our trip this weekend.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a great experience for our ball club. It's impossible to create game speed at practice and we finally got to get outside and see what Div. I softball is all about. The great thing is that even though we fell short in a couple close ball games, our kids know they can not only compete, but win at this level. I really liked the way we reacted when we got back to Fairfax. We had some kids putting work in on their day off and we got after it in the weight room this morning.

This afternoon will be our first practice in the new ballpark! It looks great and can't wait to see how it's going to play.

Opening Day!

Where to begin? :) We were 1-1 on the day and while we did some very good things on the ballfield all day, we have some things we need to work on and clean up.

I guess I'll start with our travel day on Thursday. We got in some good BP during the day and were all set for a 6pm flight. Well that was delayed due to the crazy amount of wind we had and we didn't get in the air until close to 9 o'clock. It was about midnight by the time all the kids got to bed and about 1am by the time I hit the pillow.

Game day - 6:30am breakfast and headed to the park at 7 for a 9 and 11 o'clock game.

Game 1 - Western Carolina - We had a very strong start to the season with a 7-1 victory. We had the shut-out going into the bottom of the 7th, got a little sloppy defensively and gave up the 1 run. For some reason those last 3 to 6 outs of a ball game are tough to get.

Game 2 - Villanova - Started right where we left off swinging the bats and put up 3 runs in the first inning. We were in control thru 4 innings, gave up a couple of runs and were still up by 1 going into the 7th and let it slip away losing 6-5. Pretty frustrating loss but I think we learned a lot about what we need to do to manage a game with a lead. A little better decision making and we are 2-0.

Tommorrow we face UCF and UT-Arlington.

By the way.......the weather is beautiful!!!!

New Website

Check out Mason Athletics new website. www.gomason.com

Outside Today!

It is 55 and sunny today! Wahoooooo! We're gonna get a little work in outside before the big game today. I don't dislike the Steelers but I'm going for the underdog. Go Cardinals!

Here we Go!

Well practice is officially under way. We just finished our 5th workout in three days and the team is getting after it! The only thing that could make it any better would be for mother nature to give us a few days of 60 degree weather. It's hard to believe that opening day is just three weeks away. Time flies! We leave Feb. 12 for Orlando for a tournament hosted by UCF. We've opened up there the last few years and it's been great. We get out of the cold for a few days and get to face some great competition.

GO PATRIOTS!

Well the Holiday's are behind us and we have one more week until we get underway. I can't wait until these kids get back on campus so we can get to work. First practice is scheduled for Jan. 18, cross your fingers for good weather.

A Senior's Perspective

I can't believe how fast the fall semester went. Time has been flying by and it's especially scary for me because I'm graduating in May and I need to find a real job (too bad no one will pay me to play softball in the real world!). I think our fall season went really well. And our fitness test results at the end of the season really show that we became a better team this fall through every workout and practice. It's so cool to watch everyone get better and better everyday, especially the freshmen. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about the new field! It's going to be awesome to play on a sweet field for my last season at Mason and get lots of W's on it.
It's nice to be back in New Jersey for winter break and spend time with my family during the holidays. I miss my teammates and coaches and want to wish them all a Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year. We'll all be back together in a couple weeks to continue working hard and have a successful 2009 season!

-ALI BRYAN

Field Construction

Here are some photo's I've collected over the entire construction process. Adding some finishing touches as we speak....can't wait to get in it this spring!