Photo by: Thomas Campbell/Texas A&M Athletics
One Pitch at a Time
May 21, 2017 | Softball
Aggies Rally Around Teammate in Time of Need
As Tori Vidales' mitt recorded the final out Sunday and sealed Texas A&M's NCAA Regional championship, the Aggies poured out of the dugout and joined the nine on the field in celebration.
There were hugs, laughs, high fives—and of course, sawing of horns.
In the postgame talk, head coach Jo Evans looked at her pitcher, Trinity Harrington, and made sure she knew how much she meant in helping the team get to the Super Regionals for the first time in four years.
"We would not be in the position we are right now if it were not for you and what you did for our team, to win games all year long," Evans told Harrington after the game, eliciting a roar from the rest of the Aggies.
What made this statement so unique and emotional was that Evans did so looking into the screen of an iPhone.
Trinity was there with her team, but not in person.
It was via FaceTime from 1,000 miles away.
Harrington, with her 13-2 record and team-leading ERA, left the team Wednesday to be with her ailing father Eric in Greeley, Colorado.
Tragically, Eric lost his battle with cancer on Thursday. Thankfully, his daughter was able to make it home in time to see him.
"She and her dad were really close. It's always almost this love/hate thing with a dad and a pitching daughter," head coach Jo Evans says, laughing. "You know, the dad is on the bucket trying to get the kid to throw a strike or to make the ball move. Her dad, he was a critic, but he was also her biggest fan. That hard-nosed sort of criticism at times is what made her so good."
Eric used to drive 15-plus hours through the night from Greeley to get to College Station before first pitch of a weekend. Following Sunday games he'd hop back in the car, drive all night back and head right in to work.
His regular advice to his daughter? 'One pitch at a time.' Harrington had it written on her wrist last Thursday in the SEC Tournament in Knoxville as she shut down a powerful Alabama lineup.
This weekend, her teammates had it written on their wrists—along with his initials and the team's motto, I Am Because We Are—in the form of a blue wristband.
One woman down, the team stepped up to the challenge. The Aggies outscored the field 20-2, sweeping through an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2011. It was definitely a moment to celebrate.
Harrington poured out of the dugout with her teammates via FaceTime, and participated in the celebration, the singing of the Aggie War Hymn, the hugs, the high fives and the postgame speech and team huddle.
It was one of those moments, Evans said, that anyone who was there will put in their pocket and never forget. There were not many dry eyes in the group.
"It was so cool to see her," center fielder Erica Russell said. "So, so cool."
"It was a very emotional thing for all of us," said third baseman Riley Sartain. "A lot of us started crying. We just wanted to win for her, and for Eric. That was a really big deal for us."
It's a moment Trinity won't forget, either.
"The FaceTime call gave me so much joy, because the girls and the softball team mean so much to my family and me," Harrington said via text message from Colorado. "Texas A&M opened its arms to my family in 2015 and through thick or thin, they have stood by our side ever since. I couldn't ask for better teammates or a better coach. My mom (Kim) and I enjoyed every second seeing our family in Texas and sawing the horns off with the rest of College Station. My Dad in heaven is looking down and he is so proud of all of them."
Her teammates, to a person, echoed how much Harrington means to them—and not just on the field. And they were going to make sure she got to pull on the Texas A&M jersey once again this season.
"For us, we really wanted to fight to make sure she got another chance to pitch this season," said Vidales, who added that Harrington's presence was definitely missed in the locker room and the team lounge. "And we're excited for her to get back and ready to see her pitch in Super Regionals."
"We wanted her to know that we have her back no matter what," Russell said. "Even though it was tough without her here, we've got her back. We wanted to rally around her and let her know we're going to see her in Tennessee."
"I always told Trin from the beginning (here at A&M), I'll always have your back," pitcher Lexi Smith said. "I'll always do what I can to make sure we're okay. I texted her (this weekend) and said, 'We're going to win this for you. We're going to get this for you.' It was really cool to tell her 'Hey, we did this for you. We got you another week so you can be here with us when we go to Supers'."
"I think losing a pitcher as good as she is and as good as she's been for us all season, we could have let it get to us," Sartain said. "Knowing that we needed to have her back made us play with full force. I'm just happy to get the wins for her."
The team's message was not all about Trinity this weekend—"it wasn't like that," Evans pointed out—it was more about making sure there was more softball for Trinity to play.
"It was (more) acknowledging our teammate isn't here," Evans said. "And we WANT her to be here. So we need to extend this to make sure she's here with us."
For Evans, it wasn't just a chance to pick up a teammate and a life lesson, but yet another example of how bought in the team is to their motto—one the players came up with on their own and have not wavered from all year.
"In terms of (I Am Because We Are), they have stayed together the entire time, especially with what's happened with Trin, and the sadness, and her family, and her not being here…and even just taking care of her when her dad was so sick," Evans said. "Our kids rallied around her and she let them. It's been really important. It just makes a statement of what that theme is and how they live it.
"I'm proud of them, who they are as people. They're really growing in character. It makes me proud and happy that they're in a place (Texas A&M) that believes in that and that they buy in. it's pretty fun to be a part of."
It'll be a special moment the next time Harrington toes the rubber for the Aggies—and that time will be hers and hers alone to decide, Evans said.
What there's no question about, though, is her teammates and coaches will have her back, just like always.
"She's so talented," Evans said. "Her dad is a big part of that. For her, I think she feels like when she goes out there and pitches, it'll be for her dad."
One pitch at a time.
There were hugs, laughs, high fives—and of course, sawing of horns.
In the postgame talk, head coach Jo Evans looked at her pitcher, Trinity Harrington, and made sure she knew how much she meant in helping the team get to the Super Regionals for the first time in four years.
"We would not be in the position we are right now if it were not for you and what you did for our team, to win games all year long," Evans told Harrington after the game, eliciting a roar from the rest of the Aggies.
What made this statement so unique and emotional was that Evans did so looking into the screen of an iPhone.
Trinity was there with her team, but not in person.
It was via FaceTime from 1,000 miles away.
Harrington, with her 13-2 record and team-leading ERA, left the team Wednesday to be with her ailing father Eric in Greeley, Colorado.
Tragically, Eric lost his battle with cancer on Thursday. Thankfully, his daughter was able to make it home in time to see him.
"She and her dad were really close. It's always almost this love/hate thing with a dad and a pitching daughter," head coach Jo Evans says, laughing. "You know, the dad is on the bucket trying to get the kid to throw a strike or to make the ball move. Her dad, he was a critic, but he was also her biggest fan. That hard-nosed sort of criticism at times is what made her so good."
Eric used to drive 15-plus hours through the night from Greeley to get to College Station before first pitch of a weekend. Following Sunday games he'd hop back in the car, drive all night back and head right in to work.
His regular advice to his daughter? 'One pitch at a time.' Harrington had it written on her wrist last Thursday in the SEC Tournament in Knoxville as she shut down a powerful Alabama lineup.
This weekend, her teammates had it written on their wrists—along with his initials and the team's motto, I Am Because We Are—in the form of a blue wristband.
One woman down, the team stepped up to the challenge. The Aggies outscored the field 20-2, sweeping through an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2011. It was definitely a moment to celebrate.
Harrington poured out of the dugout with her teammates via FaceTime, and participated in the celebration, the singing of the Aggie War Hymn, the hugs, the high fives and the postgame speech and team huddle.
It was one of those moments, Evans said, that anyone who was there will put in their pocket and never forget. There were not many dry eyes in the group.
"It was so cool to see her," center fielder Erica Russell said. "So, so cool."
"It was a very emotional thing for all of us," said third baseman Riley Sartain. "A lot of us started crying. We just wanted to win for her, and for Eric. That was a really big deal for us."
It's a moment Trinity won't forget, either.
"The FaceTime call gave me so much joy, because the girls and the softball team mean so much to my family and me," Harrington said via text message from Colorado. "Texas A&M opened its arms to my family in 2015 and through thick or thin, they have stood by our side ever since. I couldn't ask for better teammates or a better coach. My mom (Kim) and I enjoyed every second seeing our family in Texas and sawing the horns off with the rest of College Station. My Dad in heaven is looking down and he is so proud of all of them."
Her teammates, to a person, echoed how much Harrington means to them—and not just on the field. And they were going to make sure she got to pull on the Texas A&M jersey once again this season.
"For us, we really wanted to fight to make sure she got another chance to pitch this season," said Vidales, who added that Harrington's presence was definitely missed in the locker room and the team lounge. "And we're excited for her to get back and ready to see her pitch in Super Regionals."
"We wanted her to know that we have her back no matter what," Russell said. "Even though it was tough without her here, we've got her back. We wanted to rally around her and let her know we're going to see her in Tennessee."
"I always told Trin from the beginning (here at A&M), I'll always have your back," pitcher Lexi Smith said. "I'll always do what I can to make sure we're okay. I texted her (this weekend) and said, 'We're going to win this for you. We're going to get this for you.' It was really cool to tell her 'Hey, we did this for you. We got you another week so you can be here with us when we go to Supers'."
"I think losing a pitcher as good as she is and as good as she's been for us all season, we could have let it get to us," Sartain said. "Knowing that we needed to have her back made us play with full force. I'm just happy to get the wins for her."
The team's message was not all about Trinity this weekend—"it wasn't like that," Evans pointed out—it was more about making sure there was more softball for Trinity to play.
"It was (more) acknowledging our teammate isn't here," Evans said. "And we WANT her to be here. So we need to extend this to make sure she's here with us."
For Evans, it wasn't just a chance to pick up a teammate and a life lesson, but yet another example of how bought in the team is to their motto—one the players came up with on their own and have not wavered from all year.
"In terms of (I Am Because We Are), they have stayed together the entire time, especially with what's happened with Trin, and the sadness, and her family, and her not being here…and even just taking care of her when her dad was so sick," Evans said. "Our kids rallied around her and she let them. It's been really important. It just makes a statement of what that theme is and how they live it.
"I'm proud of them, who they are as people. They're really growing in character. It makes me proud and happy that they're in a place (Texas A&M) that believes in that and that they buy in. it's pretty fun to be a part of."
It'll be a special moment the next time Harrington toes the rubber for the Aggies—and that time will be hers and hers alone to decide, Evans said.
What there's no question about, though, is her teammates and coaches will have her back, just like always.
"She's so talented," Evans said. "Her dad is a big part of that. For her, I think she feels like when she goes out there and pitches, it'll be for her dad."
One pitch at a time.
Players Mentioned
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IF
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