Q&A with 2017-2018 varsity softball seniors : Kamryn Bellamy, Alex Feldman, Josie Garcia-Euyoque

Junior+Michele+Chung+and+senior+Josie+Euyoque-Garcia+warm+up.+The+photo+was+taken+on+the+Archer+softball+field+last+year+before+construction+began.+Image+courtesy+of+Garcia-Euyoque.+

Junior Michele Chung and senior Josie Euyoque-Garcia warm up. The photo was taken on the Archer softball field last year before construction began. Image courtesy of Garcia-Euyoque.

As springtime approaches, so does softball season. For seniors Kamryn Bellamy, Alex Feldman and Josie Garcia-Euyoque, this will be their last season playing a sport at Archer.

The Oracle sat down with Bellamy, Feldman and Garcia-Euyoque to learn about their experience playing Archer softball thus far and to see what was in store for the upcoming season.

What is your favorite part about softball at Archer?

Alex Feldman [AF]: I would say definitely the connection we have with the team; we’ve always been so close. We go on a Catalina trip every year where we get to bond as a team. That connection is really great.

Josie Garcia-Euyoque [JG]: We are so loud during the game. We get so into it. When there’s not enough energy in the game, then it’s our duty as the players to bring up that energy. 

Kamryn Bellamy [KB]: Something I like about Archer softball is all of the support that we get from the community. It was a lot easier [to have a field on campus], [because] people who aren’t even interested in softball will come to see their friends. The middle school team will come and watch, and we get a lot of support from everybody. 

What are your favorite things about the sport of softball?

AF: I love…when somebody makes a great play or a great catch or hits a home-run and just how excited everybody else gets and how encouraging as a team we are. For instance, I remember freshman year Kamryn [Bellamy] had a no-hitter and how excited we got. Those little moments, where its something so rare that doesn’t happen that often, [are] amazing. It’s a really great feeling

JG: We really cheer on everyone’s successes, like when Morgan [Dennis ’19] last year broke the record for home-runs…We would cheer her on when she was running the bases and running home. It may not be us making the home-run, but it’s just amazing every time. It never gets old

KB: [Softball’s] really easy to get into. Even if you don’t understand it, it’s the energy — you can just feel it. It’s also a competitive sport, so that part of it’s fun.

What are you looking forward to the most about this season?

KB: Being a senior, I’m just looking forward to savoring the time that I have left. For me, by the time softball [season] hits, in my head it’s like, ‘Okay, the school year’s about to end.’ It’s kind of bittersweet this year because it’s the last time we get to do this. I’m just excited to go out with a bang.

How will the death of Coach Mat Lucia affect your season?  

JG: We’ve talked a lot about this as a team. We’ve had some ups and downs, of course, with the loss. He was a great coach; he still is a great coach. We’re going to take that loss of a very important person, not only in our lives, but in our softball careers. We are going to take that, and we’re going to play hard this season for him. [We want to] win CIF for him, win league for him and just use him as our motivation to play really hard and continue his legacy of being a good person. [We want to] use his memories to fuel our energy during the games

AF: If anything, we will be stronger because we have something really important we’re playing this season for.

KB: He always just wanted the best for us and wanted us to be happy and actually enjoy it — not just see it as “Oh, I have to do this thing,” but to actually enjoy it and have fun doing it. If we keep that mentality and take what he taught us with us, we will be very strong this season

AF: [We want to] share who he was with the freshman who might not know him. It’s our job to keep his legacy.