Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

ALEX RASKE:
Alex is without a doubt one of the top student-athletes we’ve had in our program over the last nine years. She is so talented and such a gifted athlete.
    
We first saw Alex playing in a summer softball tournament when she was in high school. She was scheduled to catch during the game, but went out and took some flyballs during pregame warmups. She looked amazing—diving for balls, hustling like crazy and never letting anything touch the ground. She stood out as a great player on a great team. She caught that game and looked just as strong behind the plate. We knew that if we could get her on our team she would be a difference-maker. And that’s exactly what she has been.
    
She’s started every single game of her four-year career. We’ve played her in the outfield, behind the plate and at short stop. Every single gameday the coaches have a discussion about “where should we best use Alex today” because we know she is the best player on the field and we want to utilize her strengths to best benefit the team. And every single day she’s been willing to play wherever we ask her to play.
    
During the course of her first three years, she earned All-MIAC First-Team honors, Third-Team NFCA All-Central Region honors, and was named the Saint Mary’s Outstanding Female Athlete in 2013. Her statistics speak for themselves as she’s hit over .300 all four years.
    
Alex is also one of the most passionate players we’ve had here at Saint Mary’s. Alex plays and lives with her heart on her sleeve. She’s so invested in whatever she’s involved in. She always wants nothing but the best for herself and her teammates and strives every day to be the best. She works her hardest every day, every game and every single play. You can see Alex’s passion for the game whenever you watch her play.
    
We are going to miss Alex tremendously both on and off the field and wish her the best of luck.

SAM BORAWSKI:
As coaches, we could not ask for a better person to have on our team than Sam Borawski. Sam is amazing! Everyone who has ever played with or coached Sam knows exactly what we are talking about, but for those of you who haven’t been that lucky we’ll try to explain what makes Sam so invaluable.
    
She is the ultimate team player. She will do absolutely anything to help the team and coaches every single day. She’s always the first to volunteer and the last to leave practice. Sam does all the work behind the scenes and is the backbone of this team. She leads by example and works hard every day, but she has also turned into a vocal leader and does her best to continue the tradition of Cardinal Fastpitch.
    
When Sam first joined our team we knew she wouldn’t see a lot of playing time right away. But her work ethic and attitude was something unmatched by any other player we had ever coached. We told her that if she continued to work that hard every day and to constantly put the team first—that we would always have a spot for her on our team.
    
She accepted that role and over the course of her first three years saw very limited playing time at third base, catching or in the DP role. Her persistence has payed off and she’s earned a starting role on this year’s team. Whether she’s starting in a game or not, she has the same positive attitude and dedication to the team.
    
Sam’s attitude toward life is the same way. She’s very involved with other activities on campus and works hard to make Saint Mary’s the best it can be. When she’s involved in a project you know she’s going to do her share—and usually more—to make it be successful. She’s got a great reputation amongst her peers and with the faculty and staff on campus.
    
There’s absolutely no doubt in our minds that Sam will go on to do great things with her life. We will miss her greatly!