Heather Robey looks to lead the Cougars after rewriting the record books on her previous team.
It’s that time of year again. The smell of freshly cut grass, the welcomed feeling of a cool breeze on a warm afternoon and the sound of softballs “pinging” off aluminum bats is in the air.
It’s softball season.
For many, it is just the start of another season on the same team. But for Heather Robey, it is the start of a new chapter in her life.
Robey transferred to Columbia College from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff last fall.
Robey finished her two year pitching career at Three Rivers with exceptional numbers. Last year she finished the season with 319 strikeouts, a .647 ERA and a record of 25-9, not to mention leading the team with a .411 batting average in the No. 3 slot of the batting order.
Then, during halftime of a game in December, Three Rivers decided to do something it had never done before — retire Robey’s No. 9 jersey to repay her for her contribution.
“She broke just about every school record: ERA, wins, strikeouts,” said Jack Childress, the Raiders coach. “She did it for both a season and career. She was something else.”
“It was a thriller,” said Robey on the retiring of her number. “It was pretty cool to know that I made my mark.”
Now Robey wants to try to make her mark with the Cougars.
“Here I am not really a standout player,” said Robey. “We are all the same. I haven’t played at this level before. Hopefully the things that I have learned can help me some.”
Although the Cougars don’t play their first game until today against Central Methodist University at 2 p.m. in Fayette, Robey has practiced with the team and said that she had to work her way up into the group.
“They already knew each other,” said Robey. “I had to learn them, their abilities. It was tough.”
Cougars coach Wendy Spratt said that Robey plays a key role in filling what was the missing piece from last year’s team.
Robey said that she doesn’t have any individual goals this season, including having her jersey number retired. She just wants to do her part to get the Cougars to the national tournament. The Cougars have been to the tournament the past four years and finished seventh last year.
One thing that Robey would like to do with the Cougars is to try to have a leadership role like the one she had with the Raiders. Childress said that he thinks she can.
“She has no problem leading,” Childress said. “She gives 110 percent all the time. She is very vocal. When something wasn’t right with the team, she told everybody that something was wrong and tried to help them fix it.”
Childress said that he doesn’t think the difference in competition will affect Robey.
“She will do well,” Childress said. “She is such a competitor. Her moves on her pitches are incredible. It is almost as if she reads the mind of the batter on where to place the ball. She is a work horse and a great all-around player.”