This article is the third part in a series on Milligan softball in preparation for Sunday’s game with the U.S. Olympic team.
By Ben Davis (bdavis@starhq.com)
As a fan in the stands, Milligan pitcher Sidney Burns got to watch the United States Olympic softball team play in Canada not too long ago.
On Sunday, the freshman right-hander from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, will see the same squad from a different perspective.
Burns is the projected starter in the circle for the Lady Buffs when they take on Team USA at Cardinal Park in Johnson City.
“I think excited is an understatement,” Burns said of getting to pitch against the Olympians in a game that is a part of Team USA’s ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour’. “I think I’ve gone to bed dreaming about this every night for the past two months. I am just ready to give them a good game.”
Milligan coach Wes Holly has no reservations about having the talented Burns pitch in a game of this magnitude, despite her freshman status.
“It’s a team effort, but anybody that knows anything about this game, it starts in the circle. You’ve got to have somebody in the circle that can control the action,” Coach Holly noted, adding that Burns has already shown the ability to do just that. “She is a freshman, but she is very mature. She is not a freshman in the circle.”
Former Unaka standout Ryann Musick may also pitch in Sunday’s contest, and she too welcomes the challenge.
“I am definitely excited,” said Musick, who transferred to Milligan after redshirting at Austin Peay State University one year ago. “I know as a pitcher I have always wanted to face best competition in high school and travel ball and now in college, and it’s just exciting to be able to pitch against the best team in the world.”
Both Burns and Musick have done an outstanding job stepping up after an injury to fellow pitcher Kayla Walker, a sophomore from Tracy, California who is expected to be back in a couple of weeks after injuring her leg at a spring break tournament in Savannah last month.
Burns is 15-7 on the season after shutting out Maryville in a 4-0 Lady Buffs win during the second game of a double-header on Wednesday. She has fanned over 150 batters and holds an ERA of under 1.50. Musick is 3-4 with three saves and has an ERA right at 1.50.
“I worked really hard before I got here to make sure I was in shape,” said Burns. “I think if I hadn’t come out here and done the best that I could, I would have been completely disappointed in myself.
“I don’t want to let down my team. I think the support of my teammates behind me and the girls together knowing that we are all working hard for each other is really what helps.”
Musick agrees her success is due in large part to her fellow Lady Buffs, who are now 21-14 overall and first place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with a 7-1 mark.
“I love my teammates,” she said. “They do an awesome job behind me. I couldn’t do it without a good defense and a good catcher. (Catcher) Leah White is awesome.”
Sunday, Burns and Musick will get the chance of a lifetime when they throw against pitchers they’ve looked up too for so long such as Jennie Finch, Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman.
It’s an opportunity that thrills both Milligan pitchers; and one they feel confident about knowing the type of teammates they have backing them up.
“It’s really the girls behind you hitting you on the back and telling you ‘We’re going to get this for you’, and knowing that they are behind you and things that really just keeps us (pitchers) going,” said Burns. “I hope that will carry over to Sunday.”
estarsports
Leave a Reply