Evan Thue–
It’s never easy to say goodbye to something that you love. There are some things in college to which you dedicate hours and hours of time and energy and that’s no different for athletes and their respective sports. The softball and baseball seasons are nearing towards the end of their seasons, and, for some, they will be playing their final games for University of Wisconsin–Stout.
Rachel Thomas a senior Outfielder started playing softball for Stout in 2014 as a freshman and she never looked back. Now, towards the end of her softball career, she took a look back at the things she will miss the most. “I think I will miss having the opportunity to go play the game that I’ve played my entire life. I also think I’ll miss seeing my teammates every day,” she said.
There are a lot of moments that stand out during her four years playing Softball for Stout but one that was really memorable was hitting a home-run for her grandpa.
“During my junior year, we were playing Wartberg and my grandparents were there. Before the second game, my grandpa told me to hit it over the fence, and my first at bat of the game, I hit a home run. So it’s really cool to have that memory,” said Thomas.
Elizabeth Wood, a pitcher/first baseman graduating after this season also, started playing right away her freshman year. A couple of Wood’s favorite moments include hitting her first collegiate home-run and the team’s performance in last year’s conference tournament.
“I’ve loved my experience here. I can’t think of anything I would have done differently. I feel that I’ve worked hard, learned a ton and grew as both an athlete and person,” said Wood.
The baseball season is also coming to an end, and so is the season for senior pitcher Max Sires, who started playing baseball for Stout in the spring of 2015 after transferring from Century College.
One of Sires’ favorite memories is back at the beginning of this season when he pitched a complete game shutout at U.S. Bank Stadium, but that was just one of many memories that Sires had to choose from.
Looking back at his entire journey at Stout, there is not much that Sires would change.
“I wouldn’t change anything about my career at Stout,” Sires said, “But looking back, I’d try to enjoy the ride a bit more. Everything moves so fast; it’s hard not to dread going to 5 a.m. practices and lifts or playing games in 25 degrees in April in Wisconsin, but it was an incredible journey that taught me a lot and helped me grow as a baseball player and as a man.”
It is very sad to see these athletes go as they have provided many wonderful and memorable things to Stout sports in these past few years, but it certainly opens the door for more athletes to make more memorable moments for years to come.