Kazmierski

LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University pitcher Ashton Kazmierski and the Mountaineers softball team had seemingly reached a turning point in their season in early March after sweeping a series against University of British Columbia, doubling their win total and moving to 5-4 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

That was March 7. By March 16, the spring season was canceled, as was the potential to see if Eastern Oregon could indeed complete the turnaround it had started under new head coach Nicole Christian.

“We were finally coming together as a team, especially as pitchers,” said Kazmierski, a senior. “We were starting to figure out how to work together. It was hard to lose all of that.”

Kazmierski said she stayed in La Grande for about a week after the season was canceled to see how the school would approach classes. Once it was determined EOU was going to have its spring classes online, Kazmierski made the decision to head home to Windsor, Colorado.

“It was hard,” she said. “Obviously, it being my senior season I had high hopes for our team and myself.”

She said one aspect of the season ending as suddenly as it did was not realizing the team’s most recent practice before the cancellation would be its last one.

“That weighed pretty heavy on me, “ Kazmierski said. “It’s taken a long time to figure out how to feel on the whole situation.”

She said it helps that the NAIA granted an extra year of eligibility to the seniors who lost out on this spring season.

“It’s a relief knowing I can play again if I want to,” she said. “I want to play again, but I have to figure out financially if I can. I told my coach I would know by May. Within the next few weeks, but as for now I am looking at coming back another year.”

One project she won’t get back was a capstone project she and fellow senior softball player Jordan Shaw were going to do during the spring with Special Olympics athletes.

“We were not able to do that,” she said. “That was upsetting.”