Truax finishes off successful career

Ever since she first set foot on the UConn campus, Micah Truax has been making her presence known on the softball field. In her first collegiate game, Truax hit two home runs and had 5 RBI. The performance foreshadowed great things to come and now, four years later, Truax will leave UConn as arguably the greatest player in the program's history.

In her time at UConn, the South Glens Falls, N.Y. native has essentially rewritten the record books. She leaves UConn as the all-time home run record holder (32) and also ranks high on the all-time lists for batting average (.331), hits (196), RBIs (98), runs (133) and stolen bases (37). In her sophomore and junior seasons she earned Big East Player of the Year honors, and was also named to the All-American team in both seasons. Truax has been integral to several Big East tournament runs throughout her career, including a run to the semifinals last season. Throughout her career, Truax was the definition of a complete ball player.

Beyond her impressive statistical record, Truax has earned the respect and praise of her teammates and coaches as well.

"Micah is one of the greatest athletes I've ever seen," said fellow senior Jillian Ortega. "It's been a privilege playing with her. She's everything you could want in a teammate."

Head coach Karen Mullins praised her graduating senior, saying that "Micah has made an impact on this program from day one. It's hard to believe that she's in her senior year - she's had a great career for us."

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and when this season comes to a close this weekend, so will Truax's illustrious colligate career.

So now the question for Truax is, what's next? In these difficult economic times, venturing out into the real world seems like an intimidating thought, but when asked what her future holds, Truax answered confidently about her plans.

"I start grad school right away," Truax said. "I'm taking summer sessions one and two back in Vermont, so I'm just going to do that, and keep that going for a year and a half, then I'll graduate with a master's in special [education]."

Truax will be attending graduate school at the College of St. Joseph, a small liberal arts college located in Rutland, Vt. With a student body of only 500 students, the College of St. Joseph will be a radically different setting than Truax has become used to here at Storrs.

"[I'll miss] the friendships," Truax said. "Our team is like a family, so I think that's going to be a big loss, but I'm sure we'll all stay in contact and we're all planning on coming back next year, so that will be the biggest thing."

Truax touches on an important point: she and the other six seniors on the team have spent practically all of the last four years together, living and breathing softball. Every day they have worked together, suffered together and played together. Now, they will play their last regular season home game ever this weekend. "I love them all," Truax said of her teammates. "We're going to have a tough time when this Saturday comes and we have to play our last game here together."

Should things fall into place, and the Huskies qualify for the Big East Tournament, this weekend won't be the end of the team's season. The Huskies could make a run for the Big East Championship and possibly beyond.

But eventually, the season will end, and the seniors will move on.

"Micah's got a great work ethic and she's a great person," said Mullins. "The thing I always tell her is be yourself, stay focused on what you want, follow your passion."