Patriotism, Softball Team Up For Eastern Pitcher In NCAA Tourney

VERNON, CT/WASHINGTON, DC — Patriotism, intercollegiate softball and an All-American pitcher partnered up this week as Memorial Day 2019 approached.

And U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) was in the middle of it all as he celebrated a win by Eastern Connecticut State University over the University of St. Thomas in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Softball Championship behind the mound performance of All-American sophomore Morgan Bolduk of Vernon.

Thursday’s game marked a sharp turnaround from last week, when Bolduk's ability to join the Warriors in Texas was in question.

On May 17, Courtney was alerted to the fact that, although Eastern was on the verge of clinching a spot in the NCAA Division III softball championship tournament, the Warriors were at risk of competing without their star sophomore pitcher — Bolduk — who had signed up for the Connecticut National Guard and was slated to leave to participate in boot camp on Monday.

After finding out that Bolduk’s service commitments might keep her from joining her team in Texas, Courtney, the senior member of the Armed Services Committee and a Vernon resident, reached out to the Connecticut National Guard to inform administrators of the situation.

After working with Courtney’s staff over the weekend, the Guard, led by Major Gen. Francis Evon, adjutant general of the Connecticut National Guard, worked out a solution that allowed Bolduk to fulfill both her service and sporting commitments. After eighth-seeded Eastern's defeated top-ranked St.Thomas 2-1 behind three-hit pitching from Bolduk, Courtney released the following statement:

"It was great to be able to cheer Eastern Connecticut State University on to victory today, and there was a little added excitement to it as we watched the team advance to the second round behind the strong pitching of Morgan Bolduk," Courtney said. "As soon as my office learned about Morgan’s situation, I knew there was no way we were going let our ECSU Warriors travel to Texas without her on the mound — not without giving it our best shot. I work with the men and women of our Connecticut National Guard every day, so when we learned that there was a scheduling conflict between the tournament and Morgan’s upcoming boot camp, I reached out to Major General Evon’s Staff to find a solution that would allow ECSU to compete with their star sophomore, and that would ensure Morgan could fulfill her commitment to the National Guard and complete her mandatory training.

"Committing to serve our country is a serious undertaking–Morgan knows that, and it was never certain that she would be able to join her team in Texas this week, especially on such short notice. However, thanks to Major General Evon and Colonel Jerry Lukowski, Chief of Staff, the National Guard was able to grant some flexibility so that Morgan can compete alongside her teammates, and fulfill her service commitments to the Guard. This is a win for everyone involved, and it turned into a great win for the Warriors today as Morgan pitched them through five innings and helped them advance to the next round. I’m looking forward to watching this exciting Warriors team compete tomorrow night in Round 2."

Courtney said Major Gen. Evon and the Connecticut National Guard "acted fast," and worked with Bolduk to provide her with options that would allow her travel this week to Texas to compete and to complete bootcamp as part of her commitment to the National Guard later this summer.

"Morgan's decision to serve her calling in the Connecticut National Guard while continuing to pursue her higher education is worth celebrating," Evon said. "It means that she will be committing herself to a team that focuses on the safety and well-being of her fellow Connecticut residents and American citizens. Her dedication and commitment to excellence are just two of the traits we look for in members who choose to join Connecticut's Home Team, and I wish her and the entire Eastern Connecticut State softball team the best of luck in their pursuit of a national championship."

Bolduk on Wednesday became the 43rd Division III All-America selection from ECSU and has compiled a 20-1 mound record with a 0.93 ERA for 35-11 Eastern.

Against St.Thomas, Bolduk recorded her tenth-straight complete-game win in post-season competition with the three-hitter.

Unranked Eastern moved into a winners’ bracket game of the eight-team Friday evening against fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran University (36-8), which downed No. 5 Williams College, 7-1, in Thursday’s second game. The Bulldogs had advanced to the national tournament by downing Super Regional host and former national champion Linfield College in the deciding game of a best-of-three series in which the teams combined to score 34 runs.