For most people, the most wonderful time of the year is Christmas. For softball fans all over the nation, the Women's College World Series, and the games leading up to it, take the cake. As a softball player at Siena Heights University, my season has been over for a month. But for the best players in the country playing on the most competitive stage, the games have just begun. Here's five reasons why the Women's College World Series is so exciting for softball fans.
1. Softball is all over ESPN.
EVERYONE is excited to view these talented players battle for the championship. Between the games, highlight plays, and interviews with coaches and players, ESPN is occupied with softball. Every game in the series is being televised, which is a huge victory for the softball community.
2. The Georgia Bulldogs knocked out the Florida Gators in Super-Regionals.
Georgia beat Florida in the two games of the Super-Regional games at the Gators' home field. This means we can FINALLY see a team besides the Gators take the trophy home. Sure, we love the daisies in their hair and their cute earrings, but as the two-time defending champions, I think we were all secretly (or not-so-secretly) rooting for the underdogs.
3. The Romero Sisters are both *hopefully* headed to Oklahoma City.
I say this tentatively because Michigan is still one game away from winning their Super-Regional, but I'm thinking positively. Sierra Romero, senior second baseman for the University of Michigan and arguably the best player in college softball, will be joining her little sister Sydney Romero to duke it out for the title. Sydney, the Oklahoma Sooners' rookie third-baseman, will be battling her older sister for a spot in the National championship. All softball fans love watching the Romeros play, and it would be even more exciting to watch these sisters play on the same playing field.
4. Our favorite past players are commentators.
Softball greats like Jessica Mendoza, Danielle Lawrie, and Michele Smith have traded in their cleats for microphones to still be involved in the action. They're the players of our childhood; the women who made us fall in love with the game. The Women's College World Series gives us an opportunity to see them and continue to learn from them, like an old friend.
5. We get to watch a team's dream come true.
Nothing is more beautiful than seeing the passion and excitement of a team winning the biggest game of their lives. All of the practices, late nights, missed social events, blood, sweat, and tears all become worth it the moment the final out is made. Even though these women are the best of the best, they still started out as a young girl with a dream. It's enchanting to see the moment that a dream becomes a reality.
This is why it is the most wonderful time of year.
