Rollins head coach Michelle Frew is no stranger to a winning
program. She has over 600 wins in her illustrious 20-year coaching
career at Rollins, eclipsing 700 over the course of her 24 years
altogether. Her Tars have been to Regionals eight times in the past
ten years alone. Rollins simply hasn't been able to capture that
all too elusive South Regional title.
"We have had some great teams over the years, but could never
get out of Regionals," Frew said. "In fact, when we returned to
Valdosta this past weekend, many of us had a pit in our stomachs
remembering how we lost the last time we were there."
That has all changed. Rollins locked up its first Regional title
in program history this past weekend, defeating West Florida in the
South 2 Regional championship game. It was a long time coming.
"Winning our first Regional Title still doesn't seem real," Frew
said. "It is amazing how far our program has come. I am very proud
of our young ladies. We had our share of ups and downs this year,
but they never gave up."
The road wasn't easy for Rollins as they had to take down two
teams in the NFCA Top 25. First it was an upset against No. 22 West
Florida and then it was onto No. 17 Valdosta State. Two consecutive
wins led to an eventual rematch against UWF in the regional
finals.
"Anytime that you have to go through Valdosta to advance, you
know it is going to be a battle," Frew said "What is really
exciting going into this week, is knowing that all year, with the
exception of North Georgia early on, we have played quite well
against the tough opponents like Shorter, St.Leo, West Florida and
Valdosta.
"We had alumni from that team going crazy when we beat Valdosta.
What made it even better was the way we won that game. It was the
most incredible victory in all my 24 years of coaching. It was
amazing!"
Postseason play in any sport is full of the unexpected. Dramatic
circumstances often define a team's rise to glory. For Rollins, its
shining moment came on May 6 in its second game against Valdosta.
In the last half of the seventh inning, with one out left to work
with, Rollins mounted
a comeback for the ages and won in walk-off fashion.
"[Senior] Jule Kranz has really helped carry this team," Frew
said of one of her heroes of that game. "She has gotten the big hit
all year for us. The biggest hit though was against Valdosta when
she hit a solo shot to tie the game with two outs. Jule just finds
a way to win."
Speaking of seniors, none shined brighter than pitcher Niki
Fogle. Fogle pitched all three games en route to earning Second
Team All-South Region honors. She hurled three complete games,
opening the Tars unlikely regional run with a no-hitter against
UWF. She concluded the title run with a complete game shutout.
"My sophomore year, we were in the winner's bracket side of the
championship and we ended up losing both games," Fogle said. "This
year I went in with that in the back of my head. I was not going to
let that happen again! When we finally got the win, I was so happy
and excited. The seniors have always wanted to be apart of the team
that finally made it past Regionals for Rollins and we did it!"
Fogle is part of a close knit group of seniors that have rode
the emotional roller coaster that the past few years have been for
Rollins softball. While Fogle leaves the Tars as their all-time
leader in career wins, nothing compares to their victory this past
weekend.
"It was really hard not making the Regional tournament my
freshman year," Fogle said. "I still believe if we would have gone
to the tournament we would have made it all the way. That really
set a tone for my next three years. The seniors this year wanted to
not just make it into Regionals but to do something that's never
been done before at Rollins and advance to the Super Regionals.
Being able to accomplish that will be something I can look back on
with pride for the rest of my life. Although several of my
teammates and I have set individual career records at Rollins, the
feeling this year of accomplishment by the team means so much more
than any individual accomplishment."
"With eight seniors, we knew that this season could go either
way," Frew added. "Seniors just have so much going on with school
and their futures. These girls decided that they were not going
down without a fight. They wanted to make history and they did.
Over the past four years, Niki has been our workhorse. We all know
that as she goes, we go. She accepted that role like a champ. I
have always felt like that Niki didn't get the respect that she
deserved. So, before Regionals, I told her to put this team on her
back and let's go win this thing. She did just that. She threw a no
hitter, limited a very powerful VSU team to just 6 hits, and threw
a shutout. I don't care what anyone says she is one of the best
pitchers in the country.
"All of our seniors have worked their butts off to make this
happen. They have helped everyone accept their roles, to put the
team first."
Next up for this upstart Rollins team is one of the best teams
in the country. They head to Florence, Alabama, for Super Regional
play against North Alabama, who has been in the top 5 in the NFCA
Polls for much of the season behind a program record 53-win season.
The Tars are all too familiar with UNA. The last time they faced,
UNA bumped them from the 2015 Regionals in extra innings.
"Make no mistake about it, we know that UNA is very good team,"
Frew said. "But, we are excited for the challenge.
"Every kid on this team has played a huge role in every pitch,
every home run, every stolen base, and every out made on defense,"
Fogle said. "We all have a role and we believe in each other and
our abilities to be the best. I cherish this year as a Tar more
than any because of the team chemistry and how much fun I've had
with my whole team on and off the field."
