Lake Oconee News
Friday, September 29,2017
Page C6
Justin Hubbard/Staff
The Morgan County softball team and coaches pose with Mary Trent Chandler, Sadie Worth and Katee Finney (back row, middle), the team's
three seniors, as part of Monday's senior night festivities in Madison.
Softball
Continued from Cl
genuinely want what’s best
for them. When it comes
to decision-making on the
weekend, when it comes
to grades, tutoring, those
three girls genuinely care
about the rest of this team.
And that’s what we’re gonna
miss most. They’re great ball
players on top of that, but
the quality of people that
they are is something that
you can’t replace.”
The experience of playing
every position in one game
was exciting for Chandler.
Late in the game, she speared
a ground ball at shortstop
and fired a throw to first to
record the out. She had just
moved over from third base
to swap spots with regular
shortstop Alissa Webb.
Chandler said just about
every fielding position was
new to her, which made
the experience all the more
memorable.
“All but three (were new),
maybe,” she said. “Every
where else, I’d never played
before in a game. I thought it
was super fun. It was super
memorable. It was nice.”
Worth and Chandler
played their entire high
school careers at Morgan.
Finney, a native of Charles
ton, Illinois, played only this
season with the Lady Dogs.
Although Worth said she
has a long-term friendship
with Chandler, she also
said she’s formed a bond
with Finney. The friendship
shared by all three of them
made senior night extra
special.
“Mary Trent and I’ve
been playing ball for a
while throughout the years,”
Worth said. “We’ve got a
friendship, and that is un
breakable. Katee, I tell her
all the time that even though
she just moved here, she is
such a light in the dugout. As
a person, I love both of them
to death. We had our ups
and downs throughout the
season with the games, but
I wouldn’t have wanted to
share that with anybody else.
And that’s something we’ll
be able to share, hopefully,
past high school and college.”
Finney said she had a hard
time adjusting to her new
school when she first moved
to Morgan. Thanks in large
part to Worth and Chandler,
who Finney said were “great
girls to share this senior year
with,” Finney was able to
quickly settle in.
“It was very tough for me at
first,” Finney said. “But once
I found my group of people
and got in with the team, all
the nervousness went away.”
Senior night was special,
but it was far from Morgan’s
final game of the season. The
Lady Dogs traveled to Hart
on Tuesday and will play at
LOA on Thursday.
The game with Hart
had huge implications on
the Region 8-AAA race: If
Morgan won, it would be a
higher seed and host a home
game in the region tourna
ment this coming Saturday.
If the Lady Dogs lost to Hart,
then they will be on the road
this weekend.
McBay said the key for
victory for the Lady Dogs is
shoring up their defense and
pitching and continuing to
hit their marks on offense.
“This team’s talented, but
at the same time we have a
very small margin of error
when it comes to errors
and pitching,” McBay said.
“I’m happy with where our
offense is. I think we’re
putting a lot of pressure on
the defense now, and we’re
getting runs across. Our
Hubbard
Continued from Cl
seeing yet another example
of why Kaepernick and
others who kneel choose to
protest.
Of course, racism exists
on both sides. Prejudice
exists on both sides. No
one is arguing against
that point; therefore, it’s
ignorant to bloviate and
make those comments as a
means of detracting from
these peaceful demonstra
tions.
It’s also ignorant to chalk
up the protests to disrespect
without listening to those
who do it. We all need to
do a better job of opening
our ears and closing our
mouths to understand each
other. Instead of bringing
up this subject to start an
argument, how about you
broach it to learn some
thing?
There’s plenty of blame
to go around on both sides
of this situation, too. I’m
disappointed in the many
friends of mine who vehe
mently decry those who
choose to protest during the
anthem. I’m disappointed
that those who protest don’t
do a better job of communi
cating their reasons.
If you decide to kneel,
understand others may
average runs per game have
gone up, but we’ve got to
stay focused there, too, and
make adjustments quick. A
lot of times, when it comes to
playoff games, the team that
makes the adjustment the
fastest is the one that wins.”
Regardless of this week’s
results or the result of the
upcoming region tourna
ment, Worth, Chandler and
Finney have all enjoyed
fruitful careers with the
Lady Dogs.
Worth and Chandler
were both part of teams
that won a lot of games over
the past few years and each
had success in their final
year. Finney stepped in this
season and was a consistent
force in the pitcher’s circle.
Each one left their mark
on the program, and each
will carry with them lessons
learned while playing for the
Lady Dogs.
“Throughout the years,
there’s been some ups and
decide to disagree with you.
If you disagree with these
protests, you need to under
stand those who participate
in them have a constitution
al right to do so.
It’s OK to disagree with
one another. We just need
to do it respectfully.
I stand and cover my
heart with my hat every
time I hear the national
anthem. But I understand
it’s my neighbor’s right
to sit or kneel during the
same anthem if he or she
so chooses. Protesting
during the national anthem
isn’t “un-American” - it’s
America at its finest.
It shows we have an
understanding of the
rights guaranteed to us
as citizens of this nation.
It’s a reminder that we’re a
blessed people to have those
rights in the first place. Our
right to protest the national
anthem is just as real as our
right to practice whichever
religion we want or my right
to do my job. Those things
are protected by the same
constitutional amendment.
You don’t have to like it.
You don’t have to support it.
But our constitution grants
us the freedom to protest
during the national anthem.
You think everyone in the
world has that freedom? We
are so lucky!
And I haven’t even men
tioned our wonderful pres-
downs, but the one thing
that I’ve learned playing
ball here is that the flower
that blooms in adversity
is the most beautiful and
rare of all,” Worth said. “I
guess what I’m trying to
say is I’ve grown in this
program. I keep coming
back to God, but he’s used
softball to shape me. I used
to not be confident in myself
and everything and he has
changed me so spiritually
and he’s given me so many
revelations. Of course, I’m
still being molded into the
woman he wants me to be,
but everything I’ve gone
through here, he’s molded
me. To sum that all up, what
does it mean to me? I guess
it’s taught me a life lesson
and taught me to not let
anybody tell me that I’m not
good enough because God
says I’m worthy. I’ve found
my strength in him, and
this is the best season I’ve
had.”
ident’s comments regarding
this situation.
He seemingly desires
to make all citizens prove
their respect to him and
the flag. He said he’d fire
NFL players for protesting
during the anthem if he had
the ability.
That should scare every
one of us. The president
of the United States really
expects all of the citizens
he’s charged with serving
to show him and the flag
admiration. The effects
of such thinking could
be disastrous and there’s
a chance that thinking
pushes Trump to try and
take action that would ulti
mately curb our freedoms.
We can’t let hatred tear
us apart. We all need to
come together and gain a
better understanding of one
another. It’s the only way
our country can survive.
We stand today at a
pivotal point in our coun
try’s history. We’re the
most divided we’ve been in
my nearly 24 years of life.
It’s time we pull together
and make things better for
everyone and stop focusing
on just ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln once
said, “A house divided
against itself cannot stand.”
Our foundation is shaking,
but there’s still time to save
our house. We just have to be
willing to do it.
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