Lady Crusader talks softball

Brianna Carr has made a career out of playing first base for the Lady Crusaders. Going into her final year, she discusses her time at Harrells and her love for the sport.

She spoke with the Independent while soaking up the sun out on the beach. Her spirits were high as she giggled a few times talking about her spring break and how it went. Carr has been playing the game since her tee ball days and her devotion to the game shows in how she talks about her time playing.

The first baseman spoke fondly of the position and relishes the intensity it carries. A novice unfamiliar to the sport may think it requires little given how a majority of the time they seem to be doing very little. However, the position requires a sharp mind and intense focus and snappy reflexes. When an error is made in the position it is seen by all, whether the ball sails just over the glove or skirts by under it.

“I love first base,” Carr began, she took a pause to gather her words. “I love all the pressure required, because if it’s a bad throw you just have to make it happen. I like the adrenaline rush.”

She recollected a game from the previous season when the Crusaders took on the Arendell Parrott Patriots. In a tight contest, she made a catch to secure the final out. No matter the difficulty of the throw, she spoke about times where if she drops the ball, a runner could cross home costing them a run or get extra bases. During that contest, she caught the “easy” ball. She cited the pressure of the moment that made the catch difficult but relished the thrill of being able to end the game and help secure the win. Harrells walked away victorious in that affair, 6-5.

“I like the close games,” she said. “The stressful ones are the most fun.”

This season for the Crusaders has been a rough one, coming off of spring break, they sit at 3-7 after ten games. Last year, they were 8-2 at this time and Carr spoke on what has been going on. She spoke on what has been happening and her thoughts on why Harrells has had a rocky start.

“I think the biggest thing is we find ourselves making careless errors, that we don’t need to make. Our hitting needs to be consistent throughout, we can’t hit well one game and not the next.”

When asked about what she feels is the issue, she cited the variety of skill the Crusaders go up against. As a private school, they find plenty of competition that varies in level of performance, saying that this may throw them off at times at the plate. This isn’t something she thinks can’t be fixed, however and said that during practices they need to hit the cages more.

Carr, being a senior, didn’t remove herself from the equation of the hitting slump, saying that she too could do better. She couldn’t pinpoint what the cause was but was clearly frustrated by it.

“I don’t know why, this year especially, I’m in a slump,” she said. “Typically, hitting is one of my strong suits. I don’t know what my slump is for but I’m tired of it.”

She praised her coach, Dustin Jackson, for his handling of the team, given how everything has been going. She spoke highly of his patience with relaying information to the team and acknowledged the difficulty of being in that position.

As the Crusaders go into the latter half of the season, Carr laments the closing of a chapter. Her senior year is coming to an end and you could hear the tone shift in her voice as she thought about the subject.

“It’s very sad, I’m gonna miss this a lot. I’ve been playing my whole life and I haven’t been without it. I used to play travel ball every weekend. So now I’m just thinking what’s next?” she said.

She stressed the importance of taking the final season seriously, knowing it will be her last. With that in mind, she’s thought ahead and what she hopes to impart some knowledge on the underclassman as she passes the mantle onto the next generation. Carr said she does everything she can to speak with kindness when pointing out something wrong. She cited how when it comes to hitting she tries to remind her teammates to keep their head up and focus on the pitch while adding an encouraging tone.

With spring break over and the Crusaders rested up and relaxed from either going to the beach, sleeping in or just chilling at home, Carr is hoping to get back on the diamond and shake off the rough start to the season, remaining optimistic about the remainder of the year.

“I’m hoping everyone comes back and is just ready to roll and start winning some games.”