Stronger Together

GW kicks off the 2019 season this weekend with five games over three days at the Gardner-Webb University Tournament, hosted by the Runnin' Bulldogs at Brinkley Stadium in Boiling Springs, N.C.

The Colonials start Friday at 11 a.m. against local foe Georgetown before finishing the opening-day doubleheader vs. Furman. For more on the Buff and Blue, check out a season preview here.

SCHEDULE
Friday
GW vs. Georgetown, 11 a.m. (Stats)
GW vs. Furman, 1:30 p.m. (Stats)
Saturday
GW vs. Furman, 10 a.m. (Stats)
GW vs. Gardner-Webb, 2 p.m. (Stats)

Sunday
GW vs. Georgetown, 11 a.m. (Stats)

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In the days following elbow surgery, Jayme Cone needed help. A lot of it.

Back in the fall of 2017, everyday tasks turned into monumental challenges for the GW softball pitcher.

"Because I had this giant robo-brace on," Cone said, "I really couldn't do anything."

Separated by 16 months, Jayme and Jenna Cone have always been close. The sisters' bond was put to the test in those trying couple of weeks when Jayme needed someone to help her shower, dress, brush her hair and cook her meals with her right arm completely immobilized.

Jenna stepped up to assist her best friend and teammate, even when the job took her outside of her comfort zone.

"I made a lot of pasta because I'm not a very good cook," Jenna said with a laugh. "I figured I couldn't mess that one up as much."

Every step of the way, the Cone sisters have supported each other like that, living out the motto both have scripted on their backs behind their left shoulders, Stronger Together.

In tandem, the California natives have navigated the ups and downs to lift the GW softball program.

Jayme, a senior, has pushed through a series of injuries with a smile on her face, emerging as an important leader for an improving club, while Jenna, a junior, has starred at the plate to earn a reputation as one of the Atlantic 10's most feared sluggers.

This spring, the sisters are aiming to help the Colonials continue their upward trajectory to make their final season as teammates the best one yet.

"It's really bittersweet, actually," Jayme said. "We've been on the same team for so long. It's upsetting this will be the last time we're on the field together in a competitive setting, but it's also like 'We have one more chance, so we might as well have fun and enjoy it.'"

*The Cone sisters last season following Jayme's surgery.*

The Cones were joined by Stronger Together in ink in December 2016, but it's a maxim that's been part of their lives for as long as they can remember.

"Every time that we have ever had to do anything difficult," Jayme said, "our dad has always said something along the lines of 'You guys are better together.'"

The sisters were 6 and 7, respectively, when they joined a softball squad called Orange Crush and became teammates for the first time.

From the start, they brought out the best in each other on the diamond.

Reminiscing recently, Jayme laughs remembering a family picture in which 7-year-old Jenna comforts 8-year-old Jayme with a head on her shoulder after she'd taken a liner off the leg.

Then, Jenna recalls the immense pride of hitting her first home run off of Jayme a few years later.

"I thought it was the best thing ever," Jenna says to her big sister.

48819 — *Jenna comforts Jayme on the field in a favorite family photo.*

With Jayme pitching and Jenna catching, they formed a potent battery throughout their childhood and into their time at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

When it came time to pick colleges, both assumed they would head off in separate directions. Only a few schools were recruiting both of them, and neither expected to go too far from their Southern California home.

Then, they made a summer visit to GW before Jayme's senior year with their mother and grandmother. About a month later, Jayme made the call with Jenna standing by and pledged commitments for the both of them.

"There's so many great things about this school," Jenna said. "The stars aligned, I guess."

The sisters' year apart helped back up that they'd made a good decision, especially for Jayme, who remembers many tear-filled nights adjusting to life on the opposite coast. They would often FaceTime for hours for a sense of normalcy while they worked on homework 2,700 miles apart.

"I usually had my built-in buddy, so Jenna and I would make friends together," said Jayme, who a career-high 22 appearances with 13 starts as a first-year in 2016. "Without her, it was a little bit tough."

The Cones were reunited with Jenna's arrival in the fall of 2016.

Over the past two-plus years, that's meant adventures around the District, ice cream dates and having a ready partner for extra practice.

"I can always guilt her into helping me," Jayme says with a grin. "I'll be like 'Aw Jenna, nobody can catch me today.'"

"When you didn't even ask anybody else!" Jenna adds, gleefully filling in the punch line.

48821 — *The Cone family - Julie, Jayme, Jenna and Don - smiles for the camera.*

More seriously, Jayme has appreciated Jenna's steady support during what's been a seemingly endless cycle of injury rehab and recovery.

Jayme battled through shin splints and a sore Achilles in her first season in Buff and Blue before knee surgery took her off the field during the fall as a sophomore.

She returned that spring to pitch in 15 games but battled arm soreness, which led to Tommy John surgery to replace a damaged ligament in her throwing elbow.

The surgery, which is common for baseball pitchers but unusual for softball hurlers, forced her into those patience-testing weeks in the 'robo-brace' and kept her from throwing at all for five months and pitching without restrictions for nine.

Along the way, Jayme has earned her teammates' respect for her positive outlook and willingness to help at every turn.

Even when she was out last season, she was often the first Colonial out to practice to help set up. She eagerly took on the small-yet-important tasks, such as filming games and practices, charting pitches and organizing team activities.

"It's a lot of the stuff that you don't think about," Jenna said, "but if she's not there for some reason, it's a little bit of a domino effect and some things start to fall apart."

As Jayme counts down to her long-awaited return to game action, her attitude remains the same.

"I think it's because softball is a team sport," said Jayme, who is set to graduate in May with a Sociology degree. "Obviously, it's bigger than just me and my injuries. If I can focus on somebody else doing something positive or if I can help them – even if it's just soft tossing for them or putting balls on a tee – it gives me a purpose."

48303 — *Following elbow surgery, Jayme is excited for her return to the circle this spring.*

Jenna's impact has been more obvious on the stat sheet over the past two years.

She burst onto the scene in 2017 with a program-record 18 home runs en route to A-10 Rookie of the Year honors and followed up with a sophomore season in which she finished 16th nationally with 61 RBIs and set a program record with a 35-game on-base streak.

Jenna credits Jayme with helping her make a smooth transition to college softball with her daily guidance, especially demonstrating how to successfully balance schoolwork and team responsibilities.

"She knows all my strengths and weaknesses," Jenna said. "And she's gotten a lot better at knowing how to tell me things. If she tries to tell me some things about hitting, I'll still get really frustrated with her sometimes, but she's pretty good at calming me down."

Meantime, Jayme is Jenna's biggest fan.

"Growing up, she never got recognized for how good she actually was, so it's been really exciting to see," Jayme said. "Every time her name comes up for something I'm like 'Guys, that's my sister.'"

48293 — *Jenna Cone enters her junior season ranked second in program history with 30 home runs.*

GW head coach Shane Winkler is grateful to have both of them.

Since Winkler's arrival in August, the Cones have helped set the tone for the group with their buy-in to his system. The veteran coach has always preached a tight-knit family culture, and there's no better way to grow that than with actual sisters leading the way.

"They're better people than they are players," Winkler said, "and that says a lot."

As the new season begins Friday at the Gardner-Webb Tournament, the Cone sisters are locked in on helping a squad looking to break the program record for wins for a third straight season.

They'll try to enjoy the ride confident they're still Stronger Together.

"I think if we went to different schools we just wouldn't have had the same experience," Jenna said. "I still think we would be as close as we've ever been, but I think coming here together has definitely been a great thing for both of us."

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