Five seniors are listed among the 2023 South Alabama softball roster, and each Monday throughout the season, one will give fans a view through their eyes as they recap the previous week. On tap this week is outfielder Victoria Oritz.

Hey JagNation, this Victoria Ortiz, and I am back with another exciting recap of our past week! We played four games this week; one midweek versus Nicholls, and a three-game series at Texas State!

Tuesday – Game Day at Nicholls 
Game day is always so exciting. Today, we went on the road to play Nicholls in Thibodaux, La. Midweek away games are probably some of the toughest games in my opinion, but if you do everything right, they are so rewarding. We did just that today. Madison Lagle pitched an amazing game, and our offense attacked their pitchers the entire game. I was so proud of our team, but I was even more proud of Madison. She had not started a game in a while, but that did not stop her from competing and keeping Nicholls off balance every inning she pitched! After the win we headed home!

Wednesday – Practice Day 
Today, we watched film and had open field for any of the players to come in and get whatever work they needed in. Coach (Kristina) McCain showed us film on Texas State. Afterwards, Odayls Cordova, Bailey Welch and myself hit on the field. Emma Kropp joined in on the fun later on as well. We hit for a while and then we all headed home. When I got home, I got all my things in order for our flight on Thursday.

Thursday – Travel/Practice Day 
Today, we traveled to Texas State. This was probably one of the toughest travel days I have had in my career. We left our field at 6 am and headed to the New Orleans airport. Then we flew from New Orleans to San Marcos. When we got to San Marcos we ate lunch at Jersey Mikes then headed to the hotel to get ready for practice. Practice was good, but nothing too strenuous. Afterwards, we had dinner at Chuy's, and the food was excellent!

Friday – Game Day at Texas State 
Happy game day! This is my favorite day of the week as always! Today is an exciting one because we play Texas State and they are a very good team. This series has easily become one of my favorites, because it is always so competitive. This game was a nail biter to say the least, but Olivia Lackie threw a great game. She only allowed one run, and that gave our offense a chance to win at the end. In the top of the seventh Mackenzie Brasher and myself were up to bat. We were being no hit at the time, so we knew what our job was when we went up there. I pulled her aside and told her "We wanted to be in that spot, so let's go win the game!" Mackenzie broke up the no-hitter with a single to right, and I knew immediately we were winning. I knew what pitch I was looking for, and when I got it, I hit a two-run home run to put us ahead! It was such an exciting moment. I knew that if I did not get the job done then someone behind me would have. It was a great team win, and probably one of my favorite games of the year so far.

Saturday – Game Day at Texas State 
After a win like the night before, you always expect to carry the momentum into the next day. However, the game got away from us, and we dropped it unfortunately. 

Sunday – Game Day at Texas State 
This morning we met as a team and talked about our plan for the day. When you lose a game, sometimes it's good to take a step back and evaluate where you are. Once we figured out our plan, we came into the game full force. We scored early and put pressure on their pitching the entire game. Olivia threw another great game and shut the Bobcats out. So many different people came through in this game whether it was on defense or offense. I love this team and I am so proud of the adjustments we made to win this game after the loss the day before. 

This weekend was super special to me because my dad's side of the family is from Texas. Over 25 members of my family made a trip to come watch me play. For many of them, it was their first time ever seeing me play. My heart was so full when I looked up and saw them wearing Jaguar shirts with my name on the back. This weekend is something I will never forget. When I hit the home run on Friday, they were so proud of me, and it nearly brought me to tears how happy I was. On Sunday, I hit a double that broke the career doubles record at South Alabama. It was such a happy moment looking up in the stands and seeing them up there celebrating. I am so thankful for South Alabama and all the blessings that it has brought me! What a weekend, go Jags!!
  
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