School's out for ... spring? Softball team could be away for a while

May 13, 2009, 12:00 AM

Count the professors of any UW softball players among those who wish the UW would install some lights at Husky Softball Stadium. Because the field doesn't have any, and because ESPN is televising every game of every round, the Huskies aren't eligible to host any round of the NCAA tournament - including next weekend's super regionals - despite being the tournament's No. 3 seed. So, assuming the Huskies win their regional in Amherst, Mass., this upcoming weekend, they'll stay on the road, traveling immediately to either Atlanta, Boston, Iowa or Auburn, though most likely Atlanta, the home of No. 14 seed Georgia Tech. Oh, and if they win, their mid-May vacation continues. A super regional win would mean one more long-distance trip, this one to Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series. That's three weeks, potentially, that the entire team could spend away from Seattle - not the best thing to have happen just before finals week. Not to mention the time they're going to spend waiting at baggage claim. But players didn't seem to care too much, saying that the only real disappointment is that they won't be able to play in front of their families and friends. "It is, but it's not," said UW outfielder Kimi Pohlman when asked if the idea of spending three weeks on the road was frustrating. "I'm really bummed that we can't even host here. The thought of not playing in front of our fans and our families - that's really tough. But, at the same time, the frustration that's built up from that can only really help us." Think team bonding, others say. "We'll be together the longest out of all the teams," UW ace Danielle Lawrie said. "You just kind of cherish each moment you have together. You have that kind of routine with your team, starting when you wake up. You're used to it. I think that's going to be the coolest thing." Head coach Heather Tarr said that discussions about adding lights at Husky Softball Stadium have been ongoing for some time, and that it would cost about $400,000 to get it done. But she sounded confident that they can make it happen some time in the near future. "You can't just pop up lights on the shoreline of Lake Washington in a month," Tarr said. "That's just not realistic. But there's definitely a plan in place, and there's some close friends of the program that are willing to help us out a little bit. We're going to kick-start a fundraising program after the season and get that going." For Tarr, this whole ordeal is likely a double-edged sword. Playing at home is always a huge advantage in the super regionals, but a long-time softball veteran like Tarr can't be too upset that the NCAA is trying to turn softball into a higher-profile sport by making a TV deal with ESPN. "The only thing that I'm frustrated by is just academically, being taken out of school," Tarr said. "I know that our student-athletes can handle this; we're just going to need some help, need some people to fax some notes." Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

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