Completing the Climb
5/17/2021 3:15:00 PM | Softball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Softball took long road to history at A-10 Championship
The instant Amber Lotz squeezed the title-clinching pop-up, the race was on.
Naturally, the infielders, flinging their gloves skyward, arrived first to swarm pitcher Faith Weber, quickly followed by the outfielders and the screaming contingent from the dugout. Then, they all collapsed to the ground in a gleeful heap behind the pitching rubber.
It was a scene the Buff and Blue had spent so much time in recent years envisioning, and on Saturday afternoon, they made it happen with back-to-back wins over Dayton at SJU Softball Field to secure the A-10 Championship crown.
"We wanted that dogpile so bad," said Sierra Lange, whose all-around excellence throughout the week made her the clear pick for Most Outstanding Player. "It's something we've been dreaming about forever. It was awesome."
GW took the long road to a title last week, winning four straight elimination games after a loss to the Flyers to begin the week. It was just one more challenge for a veteran group who had waited two years for this opportunity.
The Buff and Blue settled for a share of the 2019 title after the winner-take-all final was rained out, and then endured through a 2020 season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This spring, Head Coach Shane Winkler's group carried lofty expectations and met them every step of the way. They rolled to their first conference regular season title with a 23-1 mark before battling their way to another trophy and their first-ever NCAA berth.
Now, they're headed to the Baton Rouge Regional as a No. 3 seed with a 37-9 record and an RPI ranking of No. 32 nationally.
"The greatest thing is this team loves each other so much, and that carried us through," Winkler said. "It carried us through the good times throughout the season and it helped us persevere through the tough times. Just seeing a team that loves each other this much get to celebrate together meant the world."
In the fall of 2018, Winkler took over a program without a championship pedigree and promptly asked each member of the squad for their ring size for use when they developed one. That moment came the following spring when they earned 44 wins, the share of the A-10 title and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship.
They took the next step this season, leaning on excellent pitching from Lange and Weber and a nationally-ranked offense led by two-time A-10 Player of the Year Jenna Cone to get there.
With a regular starting lineup featuring nine student-athletes in their fourth or fifth year of collegiate competition, they kept focus on taking things one game at a time and one pitch at a time, and it served them well last week at Saint Joseph's as they climbed back through the consolation bracket to a title.
"We knew what we wanted to do and that we were fully capable," said Cone, whose 73 career home runs and 254 RBIs are both A-10 records. We were totally trusting of ourselves and the process and what we were able to do."
Indeed, top-seeded GW met every challenge after the 2-0 defeat vs. Dayton to open the week.
The Colonials eliminated the host Hawks later on Thursday with a run-rule victory and then surged past seven-time defending champ Fordham the next day, 8-1, on the strength of an eight-run sixth inning to secure a spot in the final.
On Saturday, they were able to complete the sweep to make more history and earn their place on the national stage.
Alexa Williams' walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning provided a 3-2 victory in the opener, and they won the winner-take-all finale, 7-2, behind an 11-hit attack and some gutsy pitching from Lange in her second start of the afternoon and fifth in three days.
Lange, who was named A-10 Pitcher of the Year after missing last season due to a knee injury, finished the week 4-1 with a 1.27 ERA and 29 strikeouts across 33 innings while also hitting .389 with six RBIs. The Plano, Texas, native, said she drew energy from the constant chatter in the dugout and unwavering support from her teammates to complete that memorable run.
"I just know they have my back, no matter what," Lange said. "Everyone was working just as hard. We all knew it was going to be a tiring weekend, and we were going to lay everything out on the field just to get that championship."
Afterward, GW dogpiled, received their trophy in front of a sizable crowd of family and friends and then posed for dozens of photos to mark the long-awaited moment.
It was five years in the making for Cone, Weber and Linquist, three graduate students who joined the program during the fall of 2016 and opted to return for a fifth season to help the Colonials complete their climb. All three were on the field for the final out and near the bottom of the pile in the aftermath.
"It was always a goal that we had," Cone said. "We talked about that celebration, about getting that dogpile. It's just super cool to be able to finally share that moment with them."
Before heading home, the Buff and Blue took their new trophy to visit the famed Rocky statue on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and made a special stop for dessert at Wendy's.
It was a fitting full-circle moment for members of the 2019 team who were amid a fast-food stop at the chain when they found out they were being named A-10 co-champs after the disappointing rainout.
On Sunday, the group gathered in Foggy Bottom to get their NCAA destination and roared in unison when they popped on the ESPN2 screen in the Baton Rouge Regional.
Later this week, they'll head to LSU ready to make more history.
"We're not done yet," Winkler said. "We talked about it Senior Weekend that we were going to hold back on getting emotional, even though we love our seniors, because we told them we've got a long way to go.
"We've talked about being here for so long. Now it's time to show the country what we can do."
Naturally, the infielders, flinging their gloves skyward, arrived first to swarm pitcher Faith Weber, quickly followed by the outfielders and the screaming contingent from the dugout. Then, they all collapsed to the ground in a gleeful heap behind the pitching rubber.
It was a scene the Buff and Blue had spent so much time in recent years envisioning, and on Saturday afternoon, they made it happen with back-to-back wins over Dayton at SJU Softball Field to secure the A-10 Championship crown.
"We wanted that dogpile so bad," said Sierra Lange, whose all-around excellence throughout the week made her the clear pick for Most Outstanding Player. "It's something we've been dreaming about forever. It was awesome."
GW took the long road to a title last week, winning four straight elimination games after a loss to the Flyers to begin the week. It was just one more challenge for a veteran group who had waited two years for this opportunity.
The Buff and Blue settled for a share of the 2019 title after the winner-take-all final was rained out, and then endured through a 2020 season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This spring, Head Coach Shane Winkler's group carried lofty expectations and met them every step of the way. They rolled to their first conference regular season title with a 23-1 mark before battling their way to another trophy and their first-ever NCAA berth.
Now, they're headed to the Baton Rouge Regional as a No. 3 seed with a 37-9 record and an RPI ranking of No. 32 nationally.
"The greatest thing is this team loves each other so much, and that carried us through," Winkler said. "It carried us through the good times throughout the season and it helped us persevere through the tough times. Just seeing a team that loves each other this much get to celebrate together meant the world."
In the fall of 2018, Winkler took over a program without a championship pedigree and promptly asked each member of the squad for their ring size for use when they developed one. That moment came the following spring when they earned 44 wins, the share of the A-10 title and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship.
They took the next step this season, leaning on excellent pitching from Lange and Weber and a nationally-ranked offense led by two-time A-10 Player of the Year Jenna Cone to get there.
With a regular starting lineup featuring nine student-athletes in their fourth or fifth year of collegiate competition, they kept focus on taking things one game at a time and one pitch at a time, and it served them well last week at Saint Joseph's as they climbed back through the consolation bracket to a title.
"We knew what we wanted to do and that we were fully capable," said Cone, whose 73 career home runs and 254 RBIs are both A-10 records. We were totally trusting of ourselves and the process and what we were able to do."
Indeed, top-seeded GW met every challenge after the 2-0 defeat vs. Dayton to open the week.
The Colonials eliminated the host Hawks later on Thursday with a run-rule victory and then surged past seven-time defending champ Fordham the next day, 8-1, on the strength of an eight-run sixth inning to secure a spot in the final.
On Saturday, they were able to complete the sweep to make more history and earn their place on the national stage.
Alexa Williams' walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning provided a 3-2 victory in the opener, and they won the winner-take-all finale, 7-2, behind an 11-hit attack and some gutsy pitching from Lange in her second start of the afternoon and fifth in three days.
Lange, who was named A-10 Pitcher of the Year after missing last season due to a knee injury, finished the week 4-1 with a 1.27 ERA and 29 strikeouts across 33 innings while also hitting .389 with six RBIs. The Plano, Texas, native, said she drew energy from the constant chatter in the dugout and unwavering support from her teammates to complete that memorable run.
"I just know they have my back, no matter what," Lange said. "Everyone was working just as hard. We all knew it was going to be a tiring weekend, and we were going to lay everything out on the field just to get that championship."
"𝙂𝙒 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 🏆 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝"#RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/FfKl8BsYdi
— GW Softball (@GW_Softball) May 17, 2021
Afterward, GW dogpiled, received their trophy in front of a sizable crowd of family and friends and then posed for dozens of photos to mark the long-awaited moment.
It was five years in the making for Cone, Weber and Linquist, three graduate students who joined the program during the fall of 2016 and opted to return for a fifth season to help the Colonials complete their climb. All three were on the field for the final out and near the bottom of the pile in the aftermath.
"It was always a goal that we had," Cone said. "We talked about that celebration, about getting that dogpile. It's just super cool to be able to finally share that moment with them."
Before heading home, the Buff and Blue took their new trophy to visit the famed Rocky statue on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and made a special stop for dessert at Wendy's.
It was a fitting full-circle moment for members of the 2019 team who were amid a fast-food stop at the chain when they found out they were being named A-10 co-champs after the disappointing rainout.
On Sunday, the group gathered in Foggy Bottom to get their NCAA destination and roared in unison when they popped on the ESPN2 screen in the Baton Rouge Regional.
Later this week, they'll head to LSU ready to make more history.
"We're not done yet," Winkler said. "We talked about it Senior Weekend that we were going to hold back on getting emotional, even though we love our seniors, because we told them we've got a long way to go.
"We've talked about being here for so long. Now it's time to show the country what we can do."
Players Mentioned
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