Nine Questions with Ashley Holcombe
2/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 4, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Rolltide.com and the Alabama softball team present its first athlete for nine questions. Select players and coaches will check in weekly on Rolltide.com and answer questions pertaining to things on and off the field. The first edition features senior catcher Ashley Holcombe.
Rolltide.com: As one of the many talented seniors on the team, what pride do you have in the senior class and what do expect out of the seniors this season?
Holcombe: I take tremendous pride in being a part of this senior class. I am so blessed to be a part of this amazing group of girls. I have so many great memories with each of them. I have built life-long friendships with each of them that I will treasure forever. The coaches told us when we got here that if we stuck together good things would happen. We took their advice and look at the success that each of us have had throughout our careers. I expect each of us to go all out and leave it all on the field this year. We all want the same thing--We want to be able to say we are the only five seniors in the country that won their last collegiate game.
Rolltide.com: Considered one of the best catchers in the country, what has enabled you to get to this level and what are some of your goals for this season?
Holcombe: My passion for the position has gotten me where I am today. I have never settled for just being an average catcher, I have always strived to be the best. I have always found myself watching other catchers to see if they did something that I could do to improve my game. When I was a junior in high school I saw a collegiate catcher throw from her knees and pick- off someone at second base, and said to myself, "I want to learn to do that!" I was determined to teach myself to throw from my knees. I would go in a batting cage with a bucket of balls, get into my squat, and launch balls one after another into the back of the net. It started out with me doing belly flops, but over time I finally got it down.
I have three main goals this season:
•Do whatever it takes to help each pitcher get better every day and be performing at their best in June.
•Be a leader that brings out the best in everyone.
•Have fun and go out with a bang!
Rolltide.com: Being a catcher, what has it been like to work with an All-American in Kelsi Dunne and Charlotte Morgan?
Holcombe: I have been fortunate enough to be able to catch four of Alabama's All-Americans. Kelsi and Charlotte are both very gifted pitchers and I love working with them. One of the things that make them so enjoyable to work with is that I know they both trust and appreciate me. I have all the confidence in the world that they will both get the job done. Kelsi is such an amazing pitcher and a lot of fun to catch. I get really fired up when she gets a big strike out to end the inning. I love Kelsi's composure and competitive nature on the mound. She has excellent control of her pitches-- when I give her a target she nails it every time! Charlotte is equally as amazing but with a different style. She is very feisty on the mound with a never say die attitude. She has one of the best drop-curves I have ever seen and is very fun to catch. I love the challenge of blocking and picking her pitches.
Rolltide.com: What do you expect from the pitching staff this season?
Holcombe: I expect big things out of the pitching staff this year; I think they can be the best staff in the country. I absolutely LOVE catching all of three of our pitchers! They are all so different and I look at it as a challenge for me to be able to catch each of them equally as well, I love a good challenge! I think Amanda Locke will be a great addition to the staff this year. She has really great spin on her pitches and is fun to work with. A lot of teams will be worried about Charlotte and Kelsi and I think Amanda will catch a lot of teams by surprise.
Rolltide.com: Do you have a favorite professional baseball team and why?
Holcombe: My favorite professional baseball team growing up was the Atlanta Braves because I am from Atlanta and they were always pretty good. I am not really that much of a Braves fan anymore. I pay more attention to the different catchers throughout the league, Pudge Rodriguez is my favorite.
Rolltide.com: If you could play another sport in college what would it be?
Holcombe: If I could play another sport in college it would be soccer. I was a goalie in high school and I absolutely loved the position. I think I was good at it because to me it was a lot like catching in softball. I also liked that it was a physical position; I got to dive, kick, throw, and tackle people for the ball.
Rolltide.com: What is your favorite pregame meal?
Holcombe: My favorite pregame meal is a sub from Publix. I get the Boar's Head turkey and ham on wheat with lots of lettuce, provolone cheese, banana, peppers, honey mustard, and salt and pepper. I like to wash it down with a cold Diet Pepsi.
Rolltide.com: When and why did you start playing the game of softball?
Holcombe: I started playing softball (t-ball) when I was four years old. My parents signed me up for t-ball when they realized they were wasting their money on beauty pageants because I would sit down in the middle of the stage and cry because I did not want to do them.
Rolltide.com: Why did you choose to go to the University of Alabama?
Holcombe: One of the main reasons I chose Alabama was because of the coaches. They really won me over with how genuine they were and their personalities. They really cared about me as a person, not just a ballplayer. I also wanted to be a part of something great and be surrounded by great people. I really felt that at Alabama I would be a part of a great team for four years and have the chance to win a NATIONAL CHAMIONSHIP!!!
