Welcome back! The final senior we'll talk about is...EMILY BURRIS!!!!! She's an amazing catcher and i love watching her play. She's always ready to help her teammates and encourage them. Like the other seniors, she helps the other girls and always share a word of encouragement with them.

           Emily isn't a very loud person.  She's a soft-spoken person that likes to joke around with her teammates. But despite this, her skills on the field literally scream for attention. She's third in the Cap-8 this season for most home runs with 6, 4th in slugging percentage with .734, tied for 4th in runs batted in with 24. She can hit!

          When she's behind the plate as catcher, she's probably the most intimidating person on the field. Even more intimidating than Katie. When the Varsity team played Enloe towards the beginning of the season, Emily proved just how scary she could be. There was a girl on first base who took a lead off when Nicole Mooney pitched the ball. When Emily caught it, she stared the girl down and i have never in my life saw someone run back to a base as fast as she did. The girl was terrified and I don't blame her, I would be too. Trying to steal on Emily's watch is suicidal.

         She's always been my role model because she plays one of the positions I love and I strive to be just as good as she is and hopefully i will, it will just take a long time to get there.

         I want to thank you guys for reading my blog! I've enjoyed sharing some of the best moments of the season with you all and maybe I'll continue this next season, we'll see when the time comes!

                                                                                                                    With much love,
                                                                                                                                       Nia
                                         

           Hey readers! Today is AJ Valero's day! She's the team's feisty, outgoing player that's pretty much proof that it's never too late to become great at something you're passionate about. Most of the best softball players stated playing as soon as they learned how to walk, but AJ started when she was in 7th grade when Mariah talked her into it. Ever since then, she has continued to grow in the sport and has found her niche on the team as an outfielder and has received a scholarship to play centerfield on a college level.

          For the girls on both teams, AJ is known for being a natural-born leader with a kind spirit and a great sense of humor. Like Mariah she always know what to say to encourage younger girls and just like the other seniors, she's always there to help girls learn the right way to do things and to give advice on how to improve.

          She's 3 in the league for most stolen bases with 11 and number 7 in most runs score with 23. She's also one of the team's slappers and she's really good at it. I've always admire her for her skills and knowing that she has only started playing in the 7th grade makes me feel like I can also become really good at softball despite starting at a later age than most girls. She will definitely be one to miss when she leaves.

                                                                                                                                            -Nia

         Hey guys! This post is about another amazing player who is very inspiring! She's an awesome player and she's one of the best teammates to have. She's a good role model for future players because of her selfless acts in every game and positive attitude. This girl is Mariah Mook!

         Mariah Mook is the most sweetest person you'll ever meet. She's always smiling and always encouraging younger girls to continue to work hard and to be the best they can be. She never complains about anything, if a coach tells her to do something she'll do it with no questions asked. She's a team player, she looks out for everyone and cheers for them on and off the field.

        She's about as unselfish as one can get. She always wants to do whatever she can to help improve the team and make them better, even if that means moving to a position she's never played before. She's in 12th place for most runs scored in the Cap-8 with 16 which is pretty impressive. To me, she's the sweetheart of the team and she will be one to miss as she goes off to college.

                                                                                                                                    -Nia
                                   

                 Hey guys! So since the season is over for both teams, I thought maybe I could talk about the senior Varsity players just to show you how much of an inspiration they are to not only me but for the rest of the JV team.  These 4 are some remarkable girls and I can't wait to see where life takes them in the future.

                 Katie Thomas, third baseman and probably the most scariest girl I've ever met. When I first met her last year during softball workouts I was immediately intimidated by her but I also admire her sense of humor and leadership. She's an amazing third baseman. Last year one of the coaches was talking about how crazy she was and said, "She's fearless. She'll get right up in the batter's face, maybe 3 feet away from them, and start yelling in their face." That was my favorite impression of her: crazy chick who got all up in your face to psych you out when batting.

                  I remember one time early in the season, I got a first-hand experience of how intimidating this girl is. The JV team had to practice with the Varsity team and the younger girls had to run the bases while the older girls took the field and the coaches hit the balls. I was on third base when Katie got the ball. I knew she was not one to steal on so I didn't step off the base. She looked at me to make sure I wouldn't run and it felt as if she was staring into my soul because I felt a chill go through my body. I felt like a deer in headlights, I was so scared.

                She was also an all-state player. I don't know what that means exactly but it sounds cool. She's tied for the conference's top batting average at .533 and has hit over .385 for her career. She hit over 31 runs. She's also 9th for most runs scored with 18. Those numbers are amazing. She inspires me to be just as fearless as she was and maybe be just a little bit crazy.
 
                                                                                                                                 -Nia

               Hey friends! Well Friday was the Varsity's 2nd game of the playoffs and the excitement was in the air.  The team appeared on the Morning Growl to promote their game. The teammates themselves were spreading their own words of encouragement to each other. Emily Burris, the catcher, wrote an encouraging letter that was passed around to each player throughout the day. Katie Thomas, the third baseman, wrote a poem for the girls and went to each player's class to give them a copy. Even their moms were sending inspirational quotes to the girls in their team group chat. The football and baseball teams were going to the game to show their support for the girls and to cheer them on. Everyone was ready for this game.

              At 5:00, our ladies faced the Wolverines. Both teams wanted a place in the next round of playoffs and both teams were going to do what it takes to get it. It was now or never. Everyone knew what was on the line: a place for the next round of playoffs and a chance of becoming state champions. The girls worked hard and played hard but in the end fell to Wakefield 11-4.

              It was very disheartening for the Wildcats. For the seniors it was their last time in the playoffs and their last chance of becoming state champions with this team. This was officially their last game as Wildcats, which is huge. I don't think anyone could represent the Millbrook Varsity team better than Emily Burris, Katie Thomas, Mariah Mook, and AJ Valero. There will never be another group of talented leaders and players like them.

                                                                                                                                       -Nia

                      Hey friends! Since the JV season is over, I though I'd just continue this blog for the Varsity team. I'll Just give you updates about how they're doing in the playoffs so enjoy! ;)

                     On this past Tuesday, the lady wildcats  played Heritage in the first round of the playoffs. They've already played Heritage twice this season and both times they've lost so they knew they had to play hard if they wanted to move on to the next round. They played at Heritage and the game goes the visiting team bats first in the beginning of game and the home team bats last in the end of the game. The game ended with Nicole Mooney, the pitcher, throwing the winning strike, making that the last out of the 6-5 game, moving Millbrook on to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

                     This was a close game, both teams were fighting for a place in next round of playoffs and it was an exciting moment for the Varsity team when the last strike was thrown. They were one step closer to winning the playoffs. Their next opponents are the Wolverines at Wakefield. Hopefully the ladies can take another win home and get even closer to winning the playoffs.

                                                                                                                                      -Nia

                   

                   

                 Hey guys! I forgot to mention that we played our last game yesterday against Middle Creek. Now that game was one of the best games we've had all season. It was a really close game and both teams were putting in the work to take the win. We lost but we put up a really good fight. We held the team for a couple innings, we didn't make many mistakes, and we kept a positive attitude throughout the game.

               We have a banquet in a few weeks with the Varsity team. The banquets are just about recognizing the players on both teams, saying a special goodbye to our seniors, and awarding our best athletes. Saying goodbye to the seniors is always emotional for us because it's finally hitting us that they won't be here to play next season. I wish I could've played with this senior class especially because they all inspire me in some way whether it's to throw faster or hit harder. There's also food, which is the best part. After that, the coaches say a few words, we take pictures and then it's over.

              I'm really proud of this team and I'm honored to have the opportunity to play with these ladies and get to know them, they are truly amazing. I think this team was a lot closer than the JV team last year, though I do miss the former JV players dearly. I had a lot of fun with these crazy girls and I hope I get to see them play again in the near future. As for the ones trying out for Varsity next year, I hope we get a chance to play together on a higher level. Until next time!

                                                                                                                                             -Nia