Loudoun Softball Alums Face Olympian Task

By Paul Tenorio

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

As the United States Olympic softball team continues its preparations for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, four Loudoun County natives will have the opportunity to face off with the country’s best when a team of Virginia college players takes on the U.S. squad Thursday night at Kiwanis Field in Salem.

Jenny Clohan (a Broad Run alumna at James Madison University), Kelly Haller (Heritage/Virginia), and Loudoun Valley graduates Jennifer (Radford) and Jessica (Virginia Tech) Everhart were selected as members of the team, the second-to-last opponent on the Olympic team’s "Bound 4 Beijing" tour.

"I think it’s going to be a really good experience to play against such a high level of competition," Jennifer Everhart said. "College is one thing but playing against the best of the best can only help you get even better."

It will be a reunion for the four, who played together in travel softball for the Shamrocks. And for the Everhart sisters, it’s an opportunity to play together once again.

"I definitely missed playing with my sister more than anything in the world," Jennifer Everhart said. "I played with her since I was little and it was hard for me to transition going to play in college without her. ... I’m most excited about playing the Olympic team with her. That’s probably the highlight of my collegiate career, playing the Olympic team with my sister."

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Loudoun Softball Players Face U.S. Olympic Team

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James Madison's Jenny Clohan pitches for Broad Run High School in a 2005 game. Clohan and three other Loudoun area players will take part in an exhibition game against the U.S. Olympic softball team in Salem on July 24. (Joel Richardson)

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Kelly Haller and Jenny Clohan at a 2005 Loudoun All-Extra photo shoot at Stone Bridge High School. Haller, who played at Heritage and now plays for Virginia, and Clohan, now at James Madison, will be part of a team of Virginia college softball players who will face off with the U.S. Olympic softball team in Salem on July 24. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Jessica, left, and Jennifer Everhart after signing their letters of intent to play college softball, Jennifer for Radford and Jessica for Virginia Tech. The signing took place in Nov. 2004 at Loudoun Valley High School. The Everharts would go on to lead the Vikings to a state title the following spring. They will be part of a squad of Virginia college players who will face the U.S. Olympic softball team on July 24 in Salem. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Jessica Everhart makes the throw to first for the final out in Loudoun Valley's 3-0 victory over Dan River in the 2005 Virginia AA championship game at Radford. The Washington Post's account of the game picks it up from there: "The moment All-Met second baseman Jessica Everhart released the ball toward first baseman Natacia Lance for what would be the final out, she turned and raced toward her sister, All-Met shortstop Jennifer Everhart, screaming all the way into her twin's outstretched arms." (Tracy A. Woodward)

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The Olympic team is 55-1 on the tour dating to Feb. 19, with the only loss a 1-0 setback to Virginia Tech on March 26 that ended a 185-game non-Olympic exhibition win streak. Jessica Everhart played for the Hokies in the win but was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts.

"I actually played with a lot of the Virginia Tech girls this past weekend in the tournament and they kept talking about how amazing it was to play them," Clohan said. "It made me even more excited to play."

For Clohan, one of three pitchers on the roster, the prospect of facing the game’s best hitters is one that causes some nerves but also provides the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I actually got a call from my coach and she was like 'How would you feel playing the Olympic team?'" Clohan recalled. "I was like 'Are you serious?' I thought she was joking. I was shocked. I never thought I’d get a chance to play them."

All four Loudoun natives posted strong seasons for their teams in 2008, with Clohan helping guide JMU to the Colonial Athletic Association championship game and Jessica Everhart helping the Hokies to their first Women’s College World Series appearance.

She started all 62 games in which she played for the Hokies this season, hitting .202 with 38 hits, 25 RBI and 19 runs scored and excelling defensively in center field. Jennifer Everhart started 60 games at second base for Radford, hitting .288 with 53 hits, 31 RBI and 33 runs scored.

Clohan posted a 10-8 record in with a 2.06 ERA in her junior season. Haller started all 54 games as a sophomore for the Cavaliers, and led the team with a .303 batting average, racking up 40 hits and 19 RBI.

"It’s the opportunity that I’ve been looking to for my whole softball career," Haller said. "Always watching these players growing up, and watching Cat Osterman pitch, I always wonder how I’d do against her and now I get a chance to see."

Tagged: Broad Run High School, Heritage High School, high school sports, Loudoun Valley High School, Olympics, softball

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