Cindy Vallejo
Staff Writer
The bleachers were wrapped with green and orange streamers to show University spirit and honor the softball team’s seniors as part of Senior Recognition Day on Saturday at Wheeler Park.
Each senior was presented with posters, flowers and balloons from the team and other various gifts from their family and friends.
“The seniors who are graduating this year have done a great job in Leopard softball,” head coach Julie Smith said.
In the first game the Leopards got swept away in a 1-0 loss to Cal Lutheran.
Cal Lutheran’s Shonna Christianson pitched a shutout during the first game and allowed only seven hits in seven innings.
The Leopards came back in game two with two runs in the second inning, one in the third and five in the sixth inning to make the final score 8-0.
Sophomore Laura Olson pitched a complete game shutout and only allowed three hits in the six inning mercy rule win.
One of the seniors that will be graduating is catcher Daryn Schiveley.
Schiveley has been playing softball since she was 4 years old.
She plans to attend graduate school at ULV for her master’s degree in business administration.
She also plans to continue helping the softball team in any way possible.
The second graduating senior is Amanda Hastings, an outfielder and first baseman, who has been playing softball on school and traveling teams since she was 7-years-old.
Hastings plans to take the year off, get an internship and go back to school to receive her Ph.D in psychology. She also plans on playing slow-pitch baseball and eventually becoming a coach.
“Stay true to the Leo way and have each other’s backs,” Hastings said.
The third senior graduating is Dee Dee Burns, a psychology major, who played center field for the Leopards this year.
Burns has been playing softball for almost 13 years.
When Burns graduates she plans on either working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department or the FBI.
The fourth senior graduating is infielder Tara Allis who has been playing softball since she was 5-years-old and was also active on school teams and traveling leagues.
Allis’ plans after graduation are to take a year off then attend graduate school to earn her degree in sports psychology.
Allis is also a coach for an Orange County softball team in Yorba Linda.
“Always have fun and take pride in Leopard softball,” Allis said.
“To the seniors take everything that you have learned on the field and during your college experience let that guide you to excellence and never ever give up,” Smith said.
The Leopards currently hold a 16-14 overall record and an 8-10 conference record making them fourth place in SCIAC competition.
The Leopards next game will be a doubleheader against Pomona-Pitzer at 2 p.m. today at Wheeler Park.
Cindy Vallejo can be reached at cindy.vallejo@laverne.edu.
