Last shot at state title for three CBA seniors

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on June 6, 2014 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Despite being called out for stepping out of the batter's box in three of her last five at-bats, Charles B. Aycock senior Cierra Harris is not changing anything.

And she means that literally.

Harris and the rest of Golden Falcon seniors have taken superstitious to a new level during their run to the state finals that start today when they face Sun Valley at Walnut Creek Softball Complex in the best-of-three N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A softball championship series.

First pitch is at 7 p.m. Game two is Saturday at 11 a.m. and an "if" game is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The seniors who were part of the 2012 state championship team -- Harris, Katie Gay and Meredith Burroughs --not only aren't changing the way they play, they're not changing anything they've done in the past week after beating South Johnston in the east region finals.

They eat the same food at the same places.

They put their bat bags in the same spots in the dugout.

They put on their uniforms in the same order.

They even go as far to paint their nails the same colors.

Nothing changes.

Harris, Burroughs and Gay have been here before, but that doesn't mean the nerves aren't present. They're actually heightened this time around.

This series, win or lose, will be the last time they don their beloved Aycock uniforms.

"Being a senior is special by itself," Gay said. "(Last) Friday night could have been the last time we played together and we didn't want that to happen. We knew we had to get the job done and that motivated us."

The seniors are helped by a young supporting cast they have groomed to take over and carry on their legacy once this season ends. It's a stable of players that treat each other like family and have clicked from the very beginning.

It was something the seniors knew would play a major factor after last year's team struggled to mesh. But they didn't have to make any extra effort to get the team to gel this season. It happened right away.

"We really didn't have to try," Burroughs said. "Sometimes when freshmen come in they get a little intimidated by seniors, but we're not the intimidating type," said Burroughs, who towers over most girls and can seemingly hit a softball farther than most males can hit a baseball.

While they're impressed with the way the younger players have performed in big games, the seniors take the responsibility to step up in big pressure situations. They welcome the opportunity to come through for their team when they're needed most.

"As a senior you're looked up to do that," Gay said. "It's your role. When you get up there it's your moment and you just do what you got to do."

Gay hit a two-RBI double during the Golden Falcons' four-run, seventh-inning rally in game three against South Johnston. She also belted two home runs during the series.

Burroughs hasn't got the chance to take the bat off her shoulder, because teams have hardly pitched to her during the postseason. She's been walked 43 times this season.

Harris hit the two-out, walk-off single that sent Aycock to the state finals.

It's a situation that Harris credits her maturity as a senior for her success.

"If I would have been in that situation as a freshman I definitely would have peed on myself," Harris said. "I definitely would have been panicking. I wouldn't have had the confidence in myself."

This season, though, the confidence has been at an all-time high for the seniors.

Even though Harris has been called out for stepping out of the batter's box more than she ever has recently, head coach Emily Burke still wants her No. 2 hitter to execute slap hits in the state finals series.

"I'm not telling her to stop," Burke said. "We never had a problem with it until (South Johnston) and we're going to keep doing what's worked."

Just one more thing that isn't going to change.