May 23, 2001
| Ramona Shelburne |  | Year: Senior
Position: OF
Height: 5-2
Hometown: West Hills, CA
High School: El Camino Real
Major: American Studies |
|
To be honest, I believed that we were going to the World Series before I got on this plane to Oklahoma City. Jess (Mendoza) grand slam in the fourth inning of the Championship Game on Sunday that made it 8-1 and pretty much sealed the deal.
We were going.
Finally.
Four years ago when we visited the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City before our Regional Tournament at Oklahoma State, we thought wed be back to play there in a little over a week. We were the #1 seed and that whole season had taken on a sort of predestined feel. We won every close game, beat every team we werent supposed to, and overachieved beyond anyones wildest expectations but our own. Going to the World Series that year was just the next chapter in our storybook season.
Which is exactly where we went wrong.
Going to the World Series isnt easy. Back then, I never wouldve thought it would take us 3 more seasons to get back to that stadium. Three years of having our season end prematurely and wondering about "what if?" The days after we got back to campus after losing at Regionals each of the last three years were some of the most lonely, miserable days of my college career. Id watch all the World Series games on TV or follow the scores on the Internet just aching to be there.
Its those miserable days over the last three years though, that make being here in Oklahoma City this year so special.
What was the difference maker this year that pushed us up over the hump?
Its more complicated than this but before each game at Regionals my team goal was just to play the way weve played all year and execute all the things that had gotten us the #1 seed and a #4 ranking. More simply, to just play our game.
Going to the World Series is more than having a good weekend at Regionals. Sure you have to be playing good ball at the right time of the year, but how do you make that happen? Its not just a matter of luck or good timing.
The other day I was reading an article on ESPN.com written by Michael Jordan about how hes able to be such a clutch performer. His take on it was that making clutch shots is all about confidence, the more times you come through in pressure situations, the more confident you are the next time youre put in that position.
Playing well at Regionals is about having built up confidence all year that allows you to relax and play your game when your season is on the line. Take for instance our game against Nebraska on Saturday. All year weve been good at coming back and scoring right after the other team does and squashing out their momentum. Thats why no one really panicked when Nebraska scored a run in the top of the first and we were trailing for the first time all weekend.
No problem. Robin led off with a base hit. Dozer hit a triple to knock her in and tie the game and then Kira singled up the middle to put us up 2-1.
The game that comes to mind from earlier in the year where we proved to ourselves that we were a comeback team was the first time we played Oregon State. Every time they scored, we scored. Theyd put pressure on us defensively and we had an answer. To them, it must have seemed like there was no way we were going to let them win the game.
Its games like that you draw on when you dont play your best ball and want to remind yourself of how good a team you can be. After we lost the first game against Pacific on Sunday, all we talked about was refocusing and reloading. There was no reason to panic. We knew we were a much better team than we showed in the first game and the next game was our chance to prove it.
"Going to the World Series isnt easy you guys," Dozer said. "You have to go out and earn it. Thats why its so special."
As weve found out the last three years, knowing that youre good enough to go to the World Series isnt going to get you on the plane to Oklahoma, you have to win it on the field. You have to earn it all year so you can have the confidence to play your best at Regionals.
This trip really is all about the entire process that got us here. Not just this season, but all the players that have built this program into a contender the last four or five years. Marcy Crouch, Becky Blevins, Michelle Schneider, and Kellie Wiginton to name just a few. All of those girls were up in the stands to see us earn our ticket to the Series on Sunday and I know it must have been bittersweet. But truly, we never would have been in the position to go where we have this year without the contributions those players made during their careers.
Everything builds on past performances. This season builds on the last. Not just because you learn from your experiences but because winning at Regionals isnt about getting lucky at the right time of year. Its about knowing you deserve the position youre in and backing it up. Thats how you get the confidence to come back against Nebraska. Thats how you get on the plane to Oklahoma.
Thats how you win once youre there.
