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Jessie Warren, the National Championship-winning infielder and college All-American at Florida State as well as a professional player with the USSSA Pride and the Athletes Unlimited league, contributes weekly to Extra Inning Softball and shares her great insights on the sport we all love!
In today’s feature, she looks back on the one of the most electric plays in Women’s College World Series play: the amazing catch the third baseman made four years ago in Oklahoma City that made it onto ESPN as one of the Top 10 Plays of the Day.
Here is that play as shown on the ESPN telecast on June 5, 2018:
And here, in Jessie’s own words, are her recollections of the play… and if those video highlights don’t give you chills, then you need to check your pulse!!!
*****
I want to share with you one of my favorite moments in my college softball career.
Most of you may know what I’m talking about: in 2018, in Game 1 of the National Championship, I made a diving catch in the top of the 7th inning of a 1-0 game versus Washington that forced a double play and helped my Seminoles close out the win.
I get asked a lot:
- How’d you do it?
- What were you thinking?’
I’m here to answer those questions and take you through my head during that play.
To start off, I am the type of player that competes like no other… in everything I do!
We can be having a drawing competition, and I’m going to make sure I beat you in whatever it is I draw!
Most of my teammates in 2018 can attest to this; for example, we had a friendly 3v3 basketball competition during the ACC tournament week at Cali Harrod’s house and you better believe I competed with my teammates, Morgan Klaevemann and Dani Morgan, and we came out with the wins.
Anyway, I just love competing, so to be at the stage I was on—in a National Championship game—I was hungry for more.
“What more could I do to be a game changer?” I asked myself and my moment came: the Diving Catch.
Before every play, I go through every possible scenario as quickly as I can so, if and when the ball is hit to me, I know what I’m doing.
Before that play, there were endless possibilities that were most likely going to happen; to name a few that went through my head:
- A groundball straight to me, to the 5/6 hole, or to my backhand… I would turn a double play.
- A groundball to me that is bobbled or kicked away, throwing straight to first base. (Yes, I do think about the possibilities of errors; it happens—very rarely—but still need to know what to do in that instance).
- A bunt… if I get it quick enough, I could possibly go two, but at the time Washington’s Taryn Atlee, the runner at first, had good speed so I most likely would just go 1.
- Anything in the air… catch and check 1.
Now you’re probably curious how fast this goes through my head: over the years, with practice, it just happened so quickly and instinctively that I could tell you everything I could do in seconds.
Knowing I had a runner at first base with speed and with a left-handed hitter up, who, I knew after studying film slapped and bunted a lot, my instincts took over.
I knew there was a very high possibility that she was going to bunt to move the runner over, especially in the situation they were in—down one run in the top of the 7th with the runner on first base and no outs.
As our pitcher, Meghan King, went into her windup, the batter turned very early to show she was sacrificing herself to get her runner to second.
Thanks to Meghan being a great pitcher, and spinning the ball very well, the hitter got under the pitch and the ball had a lot of hang time. That meant I had time to get to it with how far back I was playing.
Again, people ask HOW?
My answer… Instincts. Repetition. Athleticism.
The instincts to get up and hold my poise to throw to 1 comes from the voices of my teammates behind me, yelling for me to take my time, and throw to first. Although, as mentioned before, I already thought about that scenario before it happened and I knew what to look for and what to do.
People remember that play at the WCWS, on national television, but I made that exact play in Super Regionals vs. LSU the week before. The fact that it was on the stage it was on, in the game it was in, made it such a big moment and game-changing play.
Wow 🙌🏾 https://t.co/r29Jqv18qo
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) June 5, 2018
The play drew the attention of the entire sports world and even legends in other sports, such as the late, great Kobe Bryant tweeted it out!
The first thought that went through my head when I made the play was: “God did this, I know He’s watching.”
By “He,” I do mean God, but by “He” I also mean Coach Sherman—Sherman Johnson Sr.—who was my only coach in the game of softball before being handed over to Coach Lonni Alameda and the FSU staff.
Sadly, he wasn’t at the World Series as Coach passed away of lung cancer in the fall of my senior year just months before… and that’s why if you watch the replay of the video, I’m so emotional.
I cried after making the play, a very quick cry, but had I thought about it any longer, the tears would have flooded. I wanted so bad for Coach Sherman to see me in that moment and, although physically he wasn’t there, I know deep down inside he was up in heaven screaming and so proud of me.
After the play, I just felt so happy, so content. The crowd roaring sounded like a symphony to me; it was one of the coolest moments of my life (you’re probably like, “What was the coolest moment?” and I’d answer: “Accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior.” Nothing will ever top that!). But afterward, I just thought: “I really just did that!”
We later went on to beat Washington in Game 2 by a score of 8-3 to win the 2018 National Championship. If I could relive any moment in my life, it would be that entire week with Team 35 in Oklahoma City.
— Jessica Warren, Extra Inning Softball correspondent
If you were at the WCWS in 2018, I would LOVE to hear your stories, and hear the emotions you felt during that moment… please email me at: [email protected]