Russell makes her pitch to college-bound players

Homecomings are always happy for Sara Russell. But this one was extra special.

Not only did Russell arrive for the holidays to visit her folks, who formerly lived in the Mount Sicker Road area and are now in Ladysmith, she got to spend time helping out some of the region?s emerging fastpitch talent.

Russell, 28, nee Wallace, was a dynamic pitcher in her heyday in the Duncan fastpitch program. She?s now coaching ball and teaching at Covenant College, a small Christian college, in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.

Russell loves giving back to the game whenever she can and made a stop at Frances Kelsey Secondary School Saturday to conduct an identification camp for young players, along with husband William, and offer tips to players seeking to go the scholarship route to her school or others.

?Coaching?s my passion,?? said Russell. ?College level is just spectacular.??

She remembers her days growing up in Duncan well. The star pitcher led Duncan teams to World Series tournaments in Portland, Oregon at the Little League Major level in 1994 and later to Kalamazoo, Michigan as a 16-year-old.

Stan McKinlay, her coach at the time who also helped out at the clinic, remembers her as a solid all-around player.

?There isn?t anything she couldn?t do,?? he said.

Russell attended Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Kentucky from 2001 to 2005.

?It was a wonderful experience,?? she said. ?We won a conference tournament and went to regionals and once went to a national tournament.??

Russell hadn?t visited other schools and didn?t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a shrewd move. It?s also where she met her future husband and they were married in July of 2006.

Russell coached at Mid-Continent during the 2005-06 season, became a teacher?s aide in the spring of 2007 and has been at Covenant College from 2008 to the present where she runs the ball program for the Div. 3 school efficiently.

?I saw some girls I would love to get my hands on,?? she said in looking over the talent at the camp. ?There were some girls, ?I?ll take you right now.???

One of them, Ashley Schenk of Victoria, is actually in the process of gaining acceptance to Covenant and being added to Russell?s roster.

Russell gave the girls tips for preparing themselves. Researching schools and making a highlight video are important elements, she indicated.

Russell advised athletes to visit the schools they?re most interested in and learn about the athletic and academic programs. ?Don?t just fall in love with one aspect of the school,?? she said.

Russell has many contacts and is more than willing to help the girls.

?I really didn?t know where they were at as far as knowledge,?? she said. ?I really think this is still new territory for everybody.??

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Source: http://www.cowichannewsleader.com/sports/136036928.html

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