Service and Sportsmanship: ECSU All-American Softball Player Competes in NCAA Tournament while Honoring Her Military Commitment to Her Country | Congressman Joe Courtney
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Service and Sportsmanship: ECSU All-American Softball Player Competes in NCAA Tournament while Honoring Her Military Commitment to Her Country

May 23, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) celebrated a win for the Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) softball team as they defeated the University of St. Thomas in the first round of the 2019 Division III Softball Championship behind the pitching of All-American athlete Morgan Bolduk, who hails from Vernon, CT.

Today's victory behind Bolduk's pitching marks a sharp turnaround from last week, when her ability to join her team in Texas for this year's tournament was in question.

On Friday, May 17, Congressman Courtney was alerted to the fact that although ECSU was on the verge of clinching their spot in the NCAA Division III softball championship tournament, they were at risk of competing without their star sophomore pitcher, Morgan Bolduk, who had signed up for the Connecticut National Guard and was slated to leave to participate in bootcamp on Monday, May 20 – the same week as the opening games of the championship tournament.

After finding out that conflicts between Bolduk's sporting and service commitments might keep her from joining her team in Texas to compete in the championship tournament, Rep. Courtney reached out to the Connecticut National Guard to inform them of the situation. After working with Courtney's staff over the weekend, the Guard, led by Major General Francis Evon, Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard, worked out a solution that allowed Morgan to fulfill both her service and sporting commitments. After the Warriors' win today, 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," said Congressman Courtney. "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 bootcamp, 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 two."

"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, a sophomore right-handed pitcher who just yesterday became the 43rd Division III All-America selection from ECSU, has helped lead her Warriors softball team to a 35-11 record this year, and has posted an outstanding 20-1 record and 0.92 ERA on the season, herself. In addition to her athletic prowess, Bolduk has also committed to serve our country as a member of the Connecticut National Guard.

Over the weekend, once the ECSU Warriors had secured their position to compete in the tournament, Courtney reached out to Major General Francis Evon of the Connecticut National Guard to alert him to the scheduling conflict. Bootcamp is mandatory for all servicemembers in the National Guard, and an important part of a servicemember's training. There was little time to find an alternative path that would allow Morgan to fulfill her commitment to the National Guard without missing the championship tournament.

However, Major General Evon and the Connecticut National Guard acted fast, and worked with Morgan to provide her with options that would allow her travel this week to Texas to compete with her Warriors softball team, and to complete bootcamp as part of her commitment to the National Guard later this summer.

Today, behind a strong outing from Bolduk, the ECSU Warriors defeated the University of St. Thomas by a margin of 2-1, and advanced to the second round of the championship tournament. They take on the winner of Texas Lutheran vs. Williams College in tomorrow night's 8:00pm second round game.