A Word From Coach Miller

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CARDINAL ATHLETICS

BRE OLSON:
Bre has been one of the most dedicated athletes we’ve coached over the last four years. She’s the ultimate team player. She’s willing to do whatever the team needs of her — whether that be baserunning, pinch hitting, playing in the outfield, leading drills at practice or being a vocal leader.
She works hard at every single practice and expects her teammates to work just as hard. She accepts whatever role she has each day and never complains.
We have put her in some very difficult situations as a baserunner with the game on the line and she always delivers. She has scored some very important runs for the team in very big games. One example that comes to mind is our last game on our spring trip this year. We put her on second base with the international tie-breaker rule in the ninth inning against Elizabethtown and she scored on a sac bunt with an amazing slide at the plate. We will never forget that play or the smile on Breezy’s face.
We are really going to miss Bre next year. It will be hard to replace her dedication to Cardinal Fastpitch. We are excited to see what her future holds.

NICOLE OLSON:
Nicole is an amazing athlete and an awesome leader. She has done so much for both the softball and women’s hockey programs the last four years. She has so much athletic talent and a strong work ethic to match. She’s extremely coachable and puts her best effort forth each and every day.
It’s cool to watch the way Nicole interacts with both her teammates and coaches. She has a way of reaching out to all of her teammates and finding a connection. She leads well by example and brings out the best in her teammates.
We’ll never forget the first time she played on the spring trip her freshman year. She played ‘lights out’ on the field and was amazing at the plate – all of the umpires were talking about her. Nicole has made some awesome plays for SMU on the field and is always a very tough out offensively. Her career batting average at SMU is very impressive and we will definitely miss her both offensively and defensively.
We will also really miss Ole’s leadership and personality. She’s been such a great female athlete at SMU the last four years and will be tough to replace.

MICHELLE CARNE:
We are so happy that Michelle decided to give softball a try her last two years here at SMU. We keep saying how much we really wish we had her for all four years.
Michelle was a catcher and infielder growing up and joined our team when we already had a handful of very solid infielders. We told Michelle that her best shot at seeing playing time was to give outfield a try. The first few balls she saw out there were pretty comical. But she worked extremely hard at improving and turned into an amazing outfielder and hitter for us last year. She dove – and caught – dozens of balls out in rightfield and went on to hit over .300 after not playing softball for over two years.
We’ve moved Michelle into the infield this year and she’s done extremely well there. She’s very coachable and works hard every single day. She’s made some big plays for us — the day that comes to mind most is her amazing fielding at Hamline this year where everyone in the ballpark was talking about her.
We’ve really enjoyed getting to know her and having her personality at practice every day. We’ll miss Michelle and wish her nothing but the best in her future.