One of the most confusing offseasons for any local athlete will come to an end Saturday when Amesbury High alumnus Ashley Waters takes the field for the University of Maine softball team in its exhibition season opener.
Waters is projected to be, perhaps, UMaine's top athletic talent and certainly its best student. The University of Maine athletic department recently named Waters to its second annual "Team Maine." The honor goes to one athlete who has the highest grade point average on each of the school's sports teams.
Waters maintains a 3.78 GPA and is in pursuit of a Communication major. On the field, as a sophomore in 2007, she ranked second in the America East Conference in hits (54) and second on the Black Bears in batting average (.348).
But it is not Waters' on-field exploits that led to a turbulent offseason.
The Amesbury native's offseason included being voted captain for the 2008 season in June, being stripped of her captaincy in August, and having her captaincy restored in November.
The August punishment stemmed from the discovery of photographs posted online on a MySpace page of a "rookie party" in March 2006 when Waters was a freshman. Members of the UMaine softball team, including Waters, were pictured playing party games and drinking.
A man who runs an anti-hazing Web site discovered the site and brought the images to the attention of UMaine officials, who investigated the incident and deemed it as an example of hazing.
Waters and her family stated at the time that although Ashley drank at a party while underage, the university falsely implied she helped haze other students. When the university restored her captaincy in November, it seemed to be a concession that the Waters family's claim was credible.
"I moved forward, and I'm not looking back," Waters said yesterday.
If anything, Waters' most recent honor of being named to "Team Maine" seems to further validate her standing as a model student-athlete.
"It's a lot of work," Waters said. "When I balance the hours for softball, conditioning, weight-training and school, it can be overwhelming. But I've figured it out. There are a lot of perks to being a student-athlete. As much time as I spend tired and exhausted, it's all worth it at the end of the day."
Waters and the Black Bears will open the regular season against Ohio University on Feb. 15 in Greenville, N.C. A second baseman, Waters said she is happy to put the most difficult part of the season behind her.
"Our offseason is much more demanding than our game schedule," Waters said. "We're in the weight room all the time in the fall and winter. I'm thrilled to start the season. It's why I came here. It's what I love to do. That first day I step on the field will be really exciting. It's seems like forever the last time I played."
Waters' up-and-down offseason does not appear to have tarnished her love for the sport. Following her senior season with the Black Bears, she plans to return for a fifth year and serve as a graduate assistant on coach Stacey Sullivan's staff.
"I want to be a college softball head coach," Waters said. "I'd love to do that."
First, Waters will have two more seasons to enjoy the game as a player. The former Cape Ann League player of the year does not plan to waste it focusing on the past.
"I think every Division 1 athlete sets goals," Waters said. "Our goal this season is to win a conference championship. Without a doubt, we have an opportunity. I set the team goals first. But individually, sure, it'd be awesome to be all-conference. I'd take anything. I'm just happy to be playing again."
