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 Gee-Gees History |
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Monday, July 31
Gee-Gees History
The Gee-Gees have been one of the most successful teams in the history of the OIWFA. We are very proud of our history and success, on and off the field.
Gee-Gee Softball- A Brief History
2006
The 2006 version of the Garnet and Grey started with very high hopes. The team took the long way to Windsor to open the season with a pair of come from behind wins vs. the Lancers to welcome new Head Coach Al Read to the team. Perennial all-star Lindsey McLaughlin had a stellar first weekend with 3 game-winning RBIs in the teams first 4 games. The team continued its strong play behind strong hitting from rookies Allie Rutherford, Jen Alexander, and Vanessa Homiak. They entered the Championship Tournament as the 3rd seed and finished the round-robin 2-1 before losing to the University of Toronto in the semi-final.
2005
The team continued its tradition of strong starts, but kept on rolling on the way to a 17-2 regular season record. They set league records for least runs allowed, and most runs scored en route to a second place record in the league. They lost a battle for first place in London against the University of Western Ontario but would seek their revenge in the playoffs. They entered the Championship tournament as the second seed and played very well on Saturday in wet, rainy weather, defeating the University of Guelph, and McMaster University. They faced a very strong squad from the University of Toronto with their backs against the wall and suffered a 6-4 loss, despite a monster homerun from Shannon Lundrigan. This loss set up a stellar semi-final game against the University of Western Ontario. This game saw a solid pitching performance from Jillian Taylor, backed up by fantastic defence from Danna Masters, Pam Hrick, and Sarah Thompson. This game also saw homeruns from Samantha Pantalone, and Lindsey McLaughlin. The team roared to an 8-4 victory setting up a re-match with the University of Toronto. Despite their offensive prowess, the team was shut-out for only their second loss of the season, losing 1-0 to the eventual champions. This season marked the high point for Gee-Gees power hitting as 4 different athletes hit homeruns, setting a league record. They were; Nicole Dunlop, Samantha Pantalone, Shannon Lundrigan, and Lindsey McLaughlin.
2004
A year of transition as coaches Brian Robertson and Genevieve Walkden left the team to return home. Both accepted full-time jobs in Toronto as they finished their academic commitments in Ottawa. The team strengthened its commitment to excellence by welcoming Gil Read to the fold. Gil is among the most successful and well-respected coaches in Canada and was preparing to lead the Canadian Womens National Team to the Olympic Games in Athens. The team had a very successful regular season as they sought to put on a show and defend their championship in front of a home crowd in Ottawa. They went undefeated at home in the regular season en route to an 11-4 final record. They stormed through the round robin of the Championship tournament but fell short on Sunday losing back to back games to the University of Windsor and the University of Western Ontario. This marked the first time of the season that the team had lost back to back games. These losses and the fourth place finish after a stellar regular season strengthened the teams resolve in the off-season.
2003
The 2003 campaign began with uncertainty in the off-season as one of the teams standout players and founders Genevieve Walkden suffered a season ending injury competing in the Junior Canadian Championships. What started as bad news for Genevieve turned into good news for the Capitals as this triggered Genevieves transition into coaching. Other changes in the off-season saw Chris Mullins leave the team and Brian Robertson, Genevieve Walkden, and Scott Searle share the coaching duties. The team again roared to an early jump on the rest of the OIWFA and this time stayed hot to an 8-5 regular season record. They traveled to Brock University for the Championship Tournament with a strong belief that a solid showing from the Garnet and Grey would be enough to bring home the gold. They started strong with an excellent 1-0 victory over Sir Wilfred Laurier University, after a bad omen in the pre-game warm-up as the teams starting pitcher and eventual Championship MVP, Lindsey Armstrong was rushed to the hospital after being struck with a batted ball. The teams success continued into Saturday as they defeated the University of Western Ontario for the first time in team history before dropping the night cap to The University of Waterloo. Under strange circumstances as all but one of the 8 teams finished the round robin 2-1 the University of Ottawa claimed the top seed entering the playoff round. The University of Toronto was their first match-up as again the team displayed their temerity in coming behind from a 5-3 deficit in the 6th inning to win 6-4. This poured fuel on the already hot rivalry between the two universities. In the final game the team put together their most impressive effort of the season defeating the University of Guelph 9-1. Pitcher, Lindsey Armstrong was named the Championship MVP and Melanie Lecavalier led the way offensively.
2002
The first year of competition was very exciting for the team that was not yet allowed to call itself the Gee-Gees. The Capitals, as they were called finished in the top half of the 8 team league. They had an excellent start, roaring to a 4-0 beginning, but came back to earth as the season progressed. In the Championship Tournament, hosted by the University of Toronto they had another strong start defeating York in their first game. The Capitals had a difficult draw, as they would face the regular season champions and eventual silver medalists in their second game as McMaster University sent the team to the bottom of the draw with a one-run extra inning victory. The team cemented their reputation for comebacks with a 7-run come from behind victory against Laurier University after finding themselves behind 9-2 in the 5th inning. This comeback was triggered by key hits from Kerry Ground and Julia Conn. This took them to Sunday morning with a match up with the eventual Champions, Brock University as the team took a 5-3 loss.
2001
Genevieve Walkden and Rachel Macmillan were students at the University of Ottawa and had played competitive softball for most of their lives. They had met over the summer, competing on the same team in Markham and realized they were both students at the same university. They had heard the progress being made towards an Ontario University League and began to investigate the process required to start a team in Ottawa.
Despite initial resistance from Sports Services the team took flight as a club. The pair began looking for coaches and hired Chris Mullins, as well as a pair of students, Brian Robertson and Scott Searle. This genesis, from two student-athletes, to two student-coaches, helped cement the reputation of the Gee-Gee softball program as a student centered enterprise.
With limited funding, the team received support from all 3 local area associations in terms of direct financing, support with facilities, and borrowed equipment. As the team evolves beyond this necessity, they remain forever in debt to the associations for the support in its infant years.
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