Beavers On The Road: Softball In Norman, Day One
May 16, 2012
Scroll to bottom for video with Elizabeth Santana & Dani Gilmore
NORMAN, Okla. - It was a whirlwind day for the Oregon State softball team on Wednesday, as the Beavers had places to go and things to do after the conclusion of their Pac-12 schedule for the first time since 2007. The return to postseason action featured an OSU first right off the bat (no pun intended), as the team bus left Gill at 6:15 a.m. this morning to take the group to Eugene for a chartered flight. As far as Head Coach Kirk Walker can remember this was the first non-commercial flight in program history. No lines, no TSA, no boarding passes. It was all a welcome experience considering the team has played 42 games away from the friendly confines of the OSU Softball Complex. That sort of travel becomes a grind, but also helps the Beavers prepare for what they will face in Oklahoma.
The plane made a brief pit stop in San Jose, Calif. to pick up the Stanford softball team. The Cardinal are playing in Lafayette, La. this weekend so when the plane touched down in Oklahoma City, Oregon State disembarked while Stanford stayed on to continue on to its destination. With only about 60 people on a Boeing 737, room was aplenty. No middle seats were occupied and the entire team could stretch out and relax. The team got a bit of good news on the flight, as it was informed of the results of the All-Pac-12 awards in which Elizabeth Santana, Dani Gilmore, Mary Claire Brenner, Paige Hall, Erin Guzy, Ya Garcia and Aryn Feickert were all honored in one way or another. More information on those awards can be found in the release here.
When the Beavers got off in OKC, the team's bus was waiting on the runway and its bags were being taken off the plane and loaded onto the bus by charter employees. Talk about service! First stop was the Oklahoma City National Memorial, which is dedicated to the victims of the bombing in Oklahoma City of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. There the team paid its respects to those who lost their lives and all those who were affected by the tragedy.
Following the time downtown, the Beavers' headed to ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, site of the Women's College World Series, to visit the Hall itself and take some batting practice on one of the complex's auxiliary fields. OSU is featured prominently at the site as both Walker and Assistant Coach Laura Berg have pictures adorning the walls of the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the game as a coach and player.
After a light practice, Oregon State grabbed some dinner and then headed to the hotel. Press conferences start at 11:40 a.m. local time tomorrow with a two-hour practice immediately to follow.
Much more coverage of the Beavers' trip in the coming days can be found on the team's Facebook page as well as on Twitter @OregonStateSB. In the meantime, enjoy the video below of Elizabeth Santana and Dani Gilmore talking a bit about the day, the team's mindset and their own feelings about receiving all-conference honors.
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