Turning Two with Charity Butler
4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
During the 2006 Southern Miss Lady Eagle Softball season, senior second baseman Charity Butler will sit down with Southern Miss Media Relations intern Mallory Haynes to discuss the ins and outs of Lady Eagle Softball.
Diary Entry #4: April 21, 2006
On playing Memphis:
"It didn't go as well as planned. They were better than I expected them to be, but we didn't play well. They took two out of three from us, which is disappointing because it is the only series we've lost this season. It wasn't exactly what we were looking for, but we came back on Sunday to get the win."
On Spring Break:
"The break was good. We took Monday off and practiced late on Tuesday. That made it easy for girls to leave town and have a day to get away and regroup. We expected to have two-a-days since we didn't have games all week, but we had normal practices and worked on a lot of things. We were able to enjoy the break and stay focused at the same time. Overall, It was good to step away from school for a little while and take a breather."
On playing UAB:
"We came back from the break and took two from UAB. That was the best UAB team that we have played since I have been here. It would have been nice to have swept them, but they were a good team."
On playing Southeastern Louisiana:
"We got the win against them the other night, even though we didn't play as good as we should have. At this point in the season, a win is a win. Hopefully we can get back on track when we travel Houston. I'm looking forward to going Houston because it's like we're playing at home. It is home to a lot of our girls, and we usually end up having more fans than they do. We always play well there, so I think it will be a good weekend. We've played there several times, and the conference tournament was there when I was a freshman."
On the team meeting her previous expectations:
"Yes and no. We are sitting at a good place in the conference right now in second place. Tulsa is above us right now, but we still have to play them. As long as we do our job against them we'll be right where we've wanted to be in the conference. I would like for our record to be better than it is; we've been very inconsistent and that can get frustrating. We have the talent and ability to be a great team, but great teams are consistent. Hopefully, we can reach that level of greatness all the time. I think we're in a good place, and I'm excited about what's ahead."
On the team strategy late into the season:
"We need to remember that this is when it counts. We always get off to a rough start and end up picking it up at the end of the year. I think that we understand the importance of conference games, and we take them seriously. You want to win every game, but a conference game has a different feel to it. We're the only team left in the conference that has ever won it outright during the regular season, and we want to keep it that way. It is definitely a pride issue for us, and our main goal coming into the year was to win conference and we try to stay focused on that."
On who has stepped up their play this year:
"There are several players this season who have stepped up. Ashley Brenan has stepped up as a leader on and off the field, but I expected her to do that. She is doing well right now, and it is noticeable. All of the freshmen have stepped in and done a good job at different times. Kristin Pilgrim is starting for us behind the plate as a freshman and Lacey Gros has been our number one. Overall, there are definitely some bright spots for the future. Our sophomores are putting up big numbers as well. Jennifer Fox and Allison Bullard are both hitting over .300. All the way up and down the roster, people have been stepping up."
On her influence on younger players:
"Being a freshman is hard, and being a freshman softball player is even harder. It can be overwhelming at times. When the season goes up and down the way it has, it can be emotional draining as well. It's refreshing to them to know that we have gone through what they are going through and still came out on top. It's good to be able to give them pointers on and off the field like managing their time and studies. We are a really close team and have great chemistry."
On the importance of team chemistry off the field:
"I would say that would be the most important thing, but it's taking that off field chemistry and putting it on the field that is most important. We get along well, and we have never translated that on both sides. I think it's important, but it is also important to utilize it."
On the community support this season:
"We have some amazing fans. We have those fans that are here whether it is rain, sleet, or snow. We appreciate them so much and they are so supportive. They are great motivation to us because we know that they come out here for us. We are here to perform for them and I can't say enough about our fans; they are amazing."