With 22 wins and just nine losses this season, the Durham Lords women’s softball team went into the nationals in Calgary this fall with confidence.
Last year, they won gold, and the year before, silver. Fourth place was not the outcome they had hoped for at the Canadian Collegiate Softball Association National Championship.
Head coach Jamie Baker said that they were coming in as defending champions and had a “strong team,” but it was “a little disappointing” that they didn’t place on the podium.
“In a normal year, maybe fourth is good, but this year we really had our mind set on gold,” he said.
But Baker said the team’s placement was not from a lack of trying.
The Lords opened the tournament with a tough loss against the University of Calgary before bouncing back and winning against the University of Saskatchewan. They followed up with another win over the Laurier Golden Hawks.
“We had a good comeback game,” said co-captain and centre fielder, Jocelyn Shelton. “I always say it’s tough to play against us after we lose.”
In the playoff round, they defeated the Humber Hawks in a close back-and-forth quarterfinal before facing the University of British Columbia.
“It was a wild game,” said Shelton. Both teams got points back and forth, leading to an extra-inning game. After a close game, the Lords lost 10 to 11.
Following that emotional game, the Lords lost again against the University of Saskatchewan in the bronze medal game.
“We battled as hard as we could,” Shelton said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”
The tournament also came with other challenges. Calgary’s weather turned unexpectedly, and cold, snowy weather compressed what was supposed to be a three-day tournament into just two.
“It put a lot of stress on the athletes,” Baker said.
Despite the conditions, Shelton said the team’s chemistry and spirits stayed strong throughout.
“Our culture is always a team-first culture, and I felt like that was really shown through,” she said.
Though the outcome was not one he was hoping for, Baker said he was still “very proud of my girls for some of the games we played in.”
Though the Lords didn’t finish on the podium, they left Calgary proud of how they battled through tough games and were motivated to come back even stronger next season.
Practice starts up again in January.