March 3, 2005
Talk about playing in your hometown at the Buzz Classic for the last time…
It’s exciting to get to play there [Al Bishop Softball Complex]. All of my friends get to come and watch, and my family and high school coaches get to come out and see me. It’s exciting. I have fun playing out there. It is a home park for me.
Rate your performance so far this season…
It definitely hasn’t been where I want it to be. I am starting to come out of what I have done so far and get better. I am just looking to improve and get to where I want to be.
Rate the team’s performance so far this season…
I think lately we haven’t been playing to our full potential. I think we are going to be really good. We are going to come out and surprise some people. We haven’t really done that, but we will. We are going to be really good.
Name one of your fondest memories you’ve had playing at Tech…
My best memory of playing was winning an ACC Championship. I have loved everything about playing here, the coaches, my teammates. Everything has been great. There is not just one thing.
Jessica Sallinger and you have been playing competitively together for a long time. What made you both decide to come to Tech and what has it been like being teammates for so long?
She decided to come before I did. We were both interested in the school and interested in the program and interested in going to a school where we could start playing early in our career. It has been great playing with her. I know exactly what she is doing every time she is on the mound. I know how she is going to perform. I have full confidence in her.
How well do you feel like the team is playing and are you at your maximum potential?
I am not at my max potential, but I think I am starting to get there. It takes a while for me to get started. Hopefully, I will get there soon and start hitting and defensively playing up to my maximum. The team is going to be good. We are still learning. We are still young. We have a lot of inexperienced people playing. I think they are learning quickly and it is going to be positive.
At the end of the season, where will Georgia Tech softball be?
Hopefully in the World Series. It is a goal for all of us to make it to the World Series. Winning an ACC Championship again would be great. We want to finish in the World Series.
How has the Georgia Tech softball program changed since you got here?
It is a completely different program. We are Top-25 in the country. We weren’t even ranked to begin with. There is a new coaching staff, new philosophies, more intense, more fun and just a more enjoyable place to be.
You and your brother Russell are really close. What has it been like having him be a manager during your senior year?
It has been great since it’s my senior year. He has been in high school for the past three years. I haven’t been able to spend much time with him. We are pretty close, so just being able to be around him my senior year has been a lot of fun. I love being able to hang out with him again and spend more time with him.
Any words of wisdom for the younger members of the team?
Don’t give up. Keep playing hard. Love it. Take advantage of being out there everyday. Enjoy your time, it goes by quick.
