Abbott snags 1st team recognition
Campus Times
May 21, 1999
Junior Kari Abbott, shortstop for the softball team, was selected
to first team ALL-SCIAC and first team NFCA Division III West Region. As
a diversified major, she plans to teach third graders and coach softball
and volleyball at the junior high school level.
Junior Kari Abbott, shortstop for the University of La Verne softball
team, is not your average player. Quiet and unassuming on the outside, Abbott
is the antithesis of that on the field.
Aggressive and hard working during games and practice, she has earned
the respect of her team and coach.
"There are times in practice that the coach doesn't require Kari
to dive with the rest of us because of the scabs all over her body from
diving for the ball," said junior catcher Kadie Tillema. "There
are times when I have no idea how she gets some of those balls."
Kari laughs about the scars.
"I have one from a cleat on the front of my calve, several on my
thighs and arms from diving for the ball," she said.
Abbott is not the type of player who worries about her statistics. According
to teammates, she just goes out there and does the best she can.
"She is one of the most natural and talented athletes I have ever
worked with in my 10 years as a college coach," said Julie Kline, head
softball coach.
Abbott, who has been playing softball since she was 9 years old, loves
the game and the camaraderie that comes with it. It is no coincidence that
she was chosen first team All-SCIAC and first team National Fastpitch Coaches
Association (NFCA) Division III, West Region.
"She had a good fielding percentage, batting average and had a
good overall season," Tillema said. "She is one of the best short
stops in the conference, if not the best."
Abbott's leadership on the team inspires her fellow team members.
"She's a silent leader," said senior left fielder Lindsey
Weber. "Her actions say a lot. She works really hard, and she is always
positive."
She is "one of the hardest working people on the team," Weber
said.
"I love the competition," Abbott said. "And my coach,
Julie Kline, is the best coach I have ever had.
"She cares a lot about the game, which causes me to care. She would
do anything for us."
There is a down side to playing softball all of these years. Since Abbott
has already played for four years, she is ineligible from playing next year.
"I will miss the game, but mostly I will miss hanging out with
the team," Abbott said.
Abbott, a diversified major, plans to teach third grade and eventually
coach softball and volleyball at the junior high school level.
"I have wanted to be a teacher for quite some time. I was once
a teacher's assistant and I used to think grading papers was fun,"
Abbott said.
Abbott, who likes to play volleyball, water ski and spend time with
her boyfriend, considers herself a "kick-back person."
"I stress over little things, like I care about the small stuff
and don't worry about the big stuff. I don't know why I'm like that,"
she said.
Kline said she respected Abbott's attitude toward the game and her team.
"She is a real team player," Kline said. "The players
have a lot of respect for her."
At the beginning of the season, team camaraderie was rocky, so the returning
players and seniors called a team meeting to discuss why the team was not
clicking.
Kari could not be there because of a conflict with a class, but she
sent a letter that asked for everyone to "just have fun," and
explained how much her last season on the team meant to her.
Abbott's only regret is that she didn't start at ULV her freshman year.
Instead, she went to Chaffey College in Alta Loma before transferring to
ULV.
"I think I would have been more serious about academics,"
Abbott said. "At junior college, your attitude is more casual toward
your studies.
"I would have liked to have been on the team the whole four years.
I have made many good friends," she said.
Lofty ambitions are not part of the future plan for this modest 22-year-old.
"After graduation, I just want to find a decent paying job teaching,
and eventually get married and have children," Abbott said. "You
know, just like everyone else."
