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SEARCHING FOR UNICORNS

By Mason Kelley

By Washington Huskies

May 16^th, 2018

It was one of those spring Seattle days that make visitors – or writers who moved 3,000 miles away – pine for the Pacific Northwest, a reminder of why locals have no trouble calling the Emerald City home.

Big, puffy white clouds drifted overhead in a lazy traffic jam against a brilliant blue sky, while a brisk breeze flowed off Lake Washington and into Husky Softball Stadium.

On days like this, practices are a little more fun, putting smiles on the focused faces of each Washington player taking batting practice. On days like this, it’s a little easier to stay for a few extra cuts in the cage.

And it was against this backdrop the Huskies' softball team continued to prepare for the postseason. But, as players gathered softballs, signaling a close to the afternoon’s workout, coach Heather Tarr shifted her attention back to early February and a trip to Peoria, Ill.

It was during that journey the program earned a new moniker. It was during a 5-0 start – Washington outscored opponents 60-3 – the Huskies became unicorns.

While the team was traveling, Tarr met up with a good friend who has been coaching college basketball for almost three decades. The coach came to watch Washington several times during the program’s hot start and was impressed.

“People recognize when there’s something real,” Tarr said.

Among the compliments provided by the basketball coach, one stuck out for the winningest coach in Husky softball history.

“You’ve got a bunch of unicorns,” the coach said.

Tarr thought about that. It reminded her of the way people refer to rare, but coveted clothing sold by a particular apparel company. When there is that one piece that is sought after, but impossible to find, it’s called a unicorn.

The coach put that filter on own team, applying it to the personalities, character and talents her players bring to Washington softball.

The nickname fit.

“That’s what these guys are,” said Tarr, whose team is 44-8 and ranked No. 5 in the nation. “To others it’s: ‘Oh, they’re unique people. We would want those people on our team. We would want them in our program.’ We are definitely enjoying this group and the types of characters we’ve been able to collect here.”

If players were Pokémon, Tarr would be trying to “catch ‘em all.”

But, while each person is unique, they fit together on the softball field.

“They represent what we’re all about,” Tarr said. “They’re pretty amazing people and they’re great softball players, too.”

When high school graduates head for college, there is a dramatic transition. It isn’t always easy to adjust. By celebrating the qualities that made Washington recruit the athletes in the first place, the goal is to ease the transition so they can learn, grow and find success both on the field and in the classroom.

“I’m glad unicorn has become a thing, because it perfectly describes who we are,” said freshman catcher Emma Helm. “It’s awesome. It takes a lot of pressure off to come in and have 20 friends right off the bat. There was never a question of, ‘Am I going to fit in?’ That’s been amazing. It helped me feel at home.”

the original unicorns

While unicorns may be a new thing for these Huskies as a definition, the driving force behind the idea has been a team trait for years under Tarr. Four years ago, though, a group of freshmen joined the program and helped solidify the concept that has led to this current iteration.

“We’ve gone through a lot of stuff,” senior Julia DePonte said. “It’s been a long and crazy four years, but it’s been the best kind of journey there possibly is. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other group. We just had talented, amazing women in our class. We’re just lucky we had such a great class.”

Through position changes, adversity and success, Washington’s 2015 class is a testament to perseverance and self-sacrifice. Each player has done whatever they’ve been asked at each stage of their career.

Kirstyn Thomas joined the program as a talented pitcher. But it took several years for the standout to find her footing. She eventually found a fit, becoming a fixture at first base.

“Most people just leave,” said Tarr, looking back on Thomas’ first two years. “I give her a lot of credit for sticking with the program, believing, knowing her time was ahead of her.”

Thomas’ faith in the team and program never wavered.

“We always hang our hats on that, whatever this team needs, we’ll do that, fill our role,” she said. “Every year we’ve had a different role to play and that’s just what we take pride in. Everyone is so versatile; they can play any role.”

Versatility is an aspect of these unicorns the seniors made a priority.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” outfielder Kelly Burdick said. “There’s no mold. Coach Tarr values us and all of our individual strengths both on the field and off the field. She just lets us be who we are and stay true to who you’ve been raised to be.”

Like Thomas, Burdick and Trysten Melhart were undeterred as they took their time solidify their roles within the program. They accepted their journeys, because they were allowed to be individuals working to fit within the team: Unicorns.

“It’s hard to be someone somebody else wants you to be, so it’s refreshing to let loose, play your game and be around people who accept you and enjoy you for who you are,” Melhart said.

“We’ve definitely grown as softball players and people individually. I expected to grow as a softball player during my time here, but I didn’t really think about how many life skills I would learn, figuring out who I want to be and who I want to be around.”

On that beautiful spring afternoon, Washington players showed off their personalities during a photoshoot that eschewed traditional uniforms for outfits of the athletes’ choosing. But they brought enough softball gear to maintain an athletic feel.

Before senior Kristin Cochran put on her glove, she moved her engagement ring from her left to right hand. Not only is she playing softball and preparing for a wedding, but she is studying in the school of aquatic and fishery sciences.

When asked to explain what makes this group unique, she said, “We’re all unique and wonderful women. We’re just trying to use all of our talents and our strengths.”

While most Washington players showed up for the shoot wearing jeans, each athlete brought a little personal flair. DePonte wore a NASA T-shirt. Taylor Van Zee showed off a glove with a stitched inscription that read: “Saved by Grace.” And sophomore shortstop Sis Bates had no problem jumping in flip-flops and ripped jeans.

“Well … we’re unicorns because we’re magical,” Bates said in a tone that conveyed a whimsical duh. “We’re just a special group of girls.

“We’re all different in a similar way. Some of us, before games, we have to dance to get loose. Some of us are a little more serious, but we’re allowed to do what we need to do and be ourselves on and off the field.”

Burdick added, “I don’t know if I can really do it justice by explaining it, trying to do it justice. It’s been the most memorable thing of my life. Even just the little moments are the things I’m going to miss the most, for sure. Not to be cheesy, but it’s been magical, you know, like the unicorn.”

FINDING UNICORNS

When Washington searches for recruits, the coaching staff has a network they tap as they look for players that fit the goals of the program.

“Some of the more obvious talents we might not get,” Tarr said. “They might stay home, go somewhere else. That’s fine. We get the ones who were supposed to come up here.”

The Huskies go into the recruiting process – spot the trend here – looking for unique prospects.

“It takes a little more than the obvious to find us and it takes us a little more to find them,” Tarr said. “We may go a non-traditional route to find a player.”

Over the past few years, the talent search has spread out to places like Ohio (Taran Alvelo) and Australia (Gabbie Plain).

And, when looking for prospects, Tarr won’t turn down a little coordinated good fortune along the way.

In fact, they found Plain via email.

“We were in need of a pitcher in the class, but we just couldn’t find the right person, so we held off, held off,” Tarr said. “Luck found us.”

While wading through an email inbox, the staff found a recruit who happened to be interested in Washington’s psychology department as much as the softball team.

“Some people think, ‘They don’t read all their emails,’” Tarr said. “But we do, because you never know. In 6,000 emails we find a Gabbie Plain.”

So here come the Huskies, preparing for one final postseason with their seniors as they work toward a run at the Women's College World Series.

No matter what happens, this group will remain confident, because they have been encouraged to embrace what makes them stand out as individuals, so they can be stars within the framework of the team.