AUGUST & SEPTEMBER ISSUE, ‘10 The Rocket Review

SOFTBALL

2010 Fall Ball Schedule

SEPTEMBER@ Youngstown State18 10:00 California PA 4-6 (L)18 12:00 Notre Dame College 8-3(W)

OCTOBER@ Ohio State2 12:00 Youngstown State2 2:00 Ohio State3 12:00 Urbana3 2:00 Ohio State

Home10 1:00 Findlay (DH) Scrimmage

You can catch the 2010-2011 Toledo Softball team in action this October.

The second weekend of Fall Ball kicks off at the Ohio State Charity Classic where the first day will feature tough competition against Youngstown State followed by Ohio State. October 3rd concludes the weekend starting against Urbana and closes out again by Ohio State.

October 10th will close out our fall with a double-header scrimmage on our home field against Findlay beginning at 1:00 pm.

October 15 & 16 will be our Alumni Weekend. Friday, October 15 will begin with our First Annual Fall Banquet honoring the accomplishments of our 2010 as well as the accomplishments of the 2010 Seniors. The night begins with appetizers at 6:30 pm followed shortly by dinner at 7:00. Saturday, October 16 we will host our Second Annual Rocket Softball Bowl-a-Thon beginning at 1:00 pm and the weekend will be concluded with the Toledo Football game that night at 7:00 pm. For ticket and reservation information, contact Assistant Coach Julie DiNallo at julia.dinallo@utoledo.edu or visit our website. The public is welcome! We look forward to seeing you there!

Outwww.utrockets.com for added games or time changes due to

weather.

The Rocket Softball team looks forward to seeing you

this fall for our Alumni Weekend!

The months of August and September were a whirlwind as the girlsreturned back from summer vacation and they began to settle backinto school mode. Our first week was filled with meetings and teamevents to reconnect with the returners (2 Seniors, 6 Juniors, and 4Sophomores) as well as welcoming our five incoming Freshmen. Thefirst team meeting was held on August 21st and classes began thefollowing Monday, August 23rd. We then held our second TeamWelcome Back BBQ at the Maumee State Park the following Sundaywhere the team played in some serious games of football andvolleyball and of course had their fair share of Coach’s barbequechicken! Later that week the girls partook in our first team ScavengerHunt throughout Toledo’s campus. The beginning of the month ofSeptember was welcomed by conditioning, weight lifting, poolworkouts, and practices where the team demonstrated their toughnessand resiliency and also enjoyed the return of their ice baths! Saturday,September 11th we joined in the Walk, Run and Roll benefit hosted bythe Sunshine organization who serves individuals with developmentaldisabilities. At the event, the girls interacted and helped pushparticipants throughout the 3 mile trail. We further continue toparticipate in giving back to the community by working at the AppleTree Nursery on campus each week. To conclude an eventfulSeptember, the team enjoyed “UT in the ‘D’” night as the Detroit Tigerstook on the Kansas City Royals in a victory, 4 to 2.

Meet the Rockets

Morgan Smith

•Freshman, Middle Infielder•Hometown: Milan, MI•Major: Nursing•Won 2010 Female Athlete of the Year her senior year for in high school•Named Ann Arbor Player of the Year and Monroe County Player of the Year her senior year while earning All-State honors•Voted Team MVP and Huron League MVP•Served as Team Captain Senior year•Fun Fact: Was born with a tooth

•Sophomore, Catcher / Infielder•Hometown: Doylestown, OH•Major: Business Marketing/Sales•Compiled 3 multi-hit games one of which was against Notre Dame on March 24 where she went 2 for 4 with an RBI•Acquired her first collegiate home run against Temple on March 7th •Had a game winning walk off run against Canisius on March 20 •Fun Fact: Loves to eat raw onions

Lani Ernst

August/September Review

Below is an excerpt from Freshman Alyssa Foy’s assignment for Mental Training with our Sports Psychologist. The assignment had the players pick any item that deals with an element of the game

and describe it in detail and what it means to them.

“MY HOME”

When you look at home plate you may just see a rectangle with apoint coming off of it. Technically it is, but that’s not all I see. I see “my home.” Iget comforted and eased when I place myself behind it. This is where I work withthe plate; we become one. One thing we do very well together is tricking theumpires. As a corner pitch comes in, the more outside/inside it is, we knowwe’ve gotta get down to business. I move my body and frame hard. Lookingdown seeing my glove over “my home.” “Strike!” We both laugh knowing theumpire was tricked and we stole a pitch from the batter. No, I don’t haveconversations with home plate, but we would be nothing without each other.

As a batter comes to the plate or a runner is coming in trying toscore, I become very possessive. This is my home, “Don’t touch it!” I kind ofwant to compare myself to Smeagol/Gollum off of “The Lord of the Rings.” It’smy Precious. No one’s allowed to touch it, look at it, use it, or take advantage ofit. Especially when I’m behind it. The joy of getting someone out makes me wantto yell “Go sit down!” I get very excited and may go a little overboard with it inmy head.

After striking out, maybe popping up, or getting reamed at by Coach,I definitely find myself getting upset easily. But as I squat behind my familiar,most dearest friend I find myself relaxing. I catch my breath and calm my nervesbecause now I’m in an environment that I’m comfortable with. Comparing homeplate is like my baby blanket. No I don’t sleep with it or drag it aroundeverywhere but for catching as long as I have, it’s a familiar, peaceful state ofmind. Like I said before, this is where I belong, behind “my home.”

Alyssa FoySeptember 15, 2010

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Wednesday, September 22

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Where are you now???We are in the process of updating our Alumni Database and weneed your help! Check out the Alumni Update Form we added toour website. If you have any information on a classmate pleasepass it along to the Softball Offices so we can keep our ToledoSoftball family and community connected! Please send allinformation to Assistant Coach KJ Kelley.

Phone: 419.530.6257Fax: 419.530.6259

Email: kj.kelley@utoledo.edu

ATHLETE OF THE MONTHBETTER STUDENTS BETTER ATHLETES BETTER PEOPLE

LINDSEY TOBIAS #7

The Toledo Softball team selects Lindsey “LT”Tobias as this month’s “Athlete of the Month.”This athlete exemplified what our program is allabout throughout the month of September. In thefirst Fall tournament debut, LT went 4 for 5 with adouble, home run, and 2 RBI’s. Further, sheembodied the Team’s Mission to be a “Betterstudent, better athlete, and a better person.”

Beyster’s Blog

Hello again Rocket Fans!

The months of August and September werevery exciting and hectic for the ToledoSoftball Program. It was great to get theReturners back on campus and to welcome our Freshmen officially tothe Toledo Family.

A Team Bar-B-Q quickly showed who has the Beach Volleyball skills andalso why we are NOT a professional flag football team. The first week ofpractice happily showed how serious this group of athletes want to stepup to the challenge this year. Cones, cones, and hurdles…

The team was also introduced to Toledo with an intense and verycompetitive Scavenger Hunt- winners TBA. We as a Staff also felt the

need for our program to makeits presence felt in thecommunity right away andtherefore took part in theSunshine Run, Walk and Rollbenefit. This was an amazingexperience that really helpedour athletes see what a specialprivilege and gift it is to be aDivision I Athlete.

Overall, it has been a great startand we now need to work oncontinuing this greatmomentum. See you soon!

GO ROCKETS!