Memmelaar always on players' minds

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

It's been barely a week since the Mountain Home Tigers' season ended with a loss in the state finals softball tournament, but that doesn't mean it's too early for coaches and players to start thinking about next season already.

"We've been to state twice and don't have the big blue trophy," coach Chris Asbury said. "We go into next year thinking 'state title'."

Asbury's team has finished second at state the last two years, dealt with the loss of coach Joy Memmelaar in November and only loses three seniors to graduation this year.

"Everyone's been in tight games, we're way ahead of where we were," Asbury said.

This season was Asbury's first as head coach but he said the only real change this year was his title because Memmelaar had let him take an active role on her staff as an assistant.

Despite fighting ovarian cancer and receiving chemotherapy, Memmelaar never missed a game or practice last season.

She was missed this year, most noticeable at first base during games.

"She was always there on first base," senior Krista Gillaspy said. "This year it was (assistant coach Sarah) Devore there and she's not as loud or as crazy."

To honor their former coach, players wore black bands around their arms with the initials "JM."

Even when the bands weren't on their arms, Memmelaar was always on the minds of players.

"We all wanted to do it for her, we miss her, we needed her there," sophomore pitcher Nickayla Skinner said. "But at the same time, we knew we needed to step up and do it for her."

Gillaspy agreed with Skinner.

"Last year, we knew she was sick, this year, not having her made it more special." Gillaspy said. "We wanted it more, it made us work a lot harder. It's a game, obviously, but we took it more serious."

Games weren't the only thing players took serious, Skinner said Asbury likes to joke around, but every practice was serious.

"We never got a break, but it was good for us," she said as the team improved from a 21-10 record last season to go 25-4 this year.

Gillaspy said there was more pressure to win this year after placing high last year at state but that this year was easier because they were able to steamroll their competition.

Another difference this year was last year the team was hopeful they were going to win, this year they were confident they were going to win, Gillaspy said.

The Tigers were also able to find solace and closure in the loss of their coach.

Asbury explained that Memmelaar's condition put the team on edge last year since the team didn't know what was going to happen. Asbury said her death was like a chapter being closed and brought closure to the team

As a result, he said, the team was more loose and fluid this year.

The team was also closer this year.

We connected more than other years," junior Breann Christiansen said. "We've all been through the same thing, we could go to each other more."

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