As a culmination to their high school careers, recent Park High graduates Afton Murray and Maegan Cunniff were selected to participate in the Softball All Star games played June 8 in Mankato.
The All Star teams were comprised of 72 athletes from across the state. Players are nominated and must be selected by other coaches to earn a spot on a team.
Murray was the Wolfpack's No. 1 pitcher throughout the season and Cunniff was the starting catcher along with cleanup hitter.
Their all star team went a perfect 3-0 on the day, which provided a nice conclusion to the two players' prep softball careers.
"It was a lot of fun to play with people that are all at such a high ability level," Murray said. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but we took it pretty easy and played well."
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An added bonus for the day was the presence of Park coaches Charlie Whitbred and Paul Virgin, who coached the girls' all star team.
Normally intense coaches and competitors, both players noticed a change in the mentality of their long-time coaches.
"They were really laid back and just had fun," Cunniff said.
Looking back, the Wolfpack's 2003 softball season provided a mix of ups and downs. At the outset of the season, expectations ran high thanks to the Wolfpack's runner-up state finish in 2002.
However, a new cast of characters in unfamiliar positions led to a slow 3-6 start.
"We were making a lot of mental and physical errors," Murray said.
Then, things just started to click. Hot pitching and timely hitting sparked the Wolfpack to a 13-game hitting streak.
Along the way, they knocked off four ranked opponents and climbed all the way up to No. 2 in the Star Tribune rankings heading into the playoffs.
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"It was very cool to see how we came together," Cunniff said. "I had a lot of fun with the players."
But Park ran into Roseville's star pitcher, Katie Dahlen, in section play, which snapped its lengthy win streak.
Forced to play immediately afterward in the double elimination format, the Wolfpack let an early 4-0 lead slip away to rival Woodbury and eventually lost 5-4, thus bringing the season to a close.
"It was disappointing to lose to Woodbury because we had beaten them a couple of times earlier in the season," Cunniff said.
"We were doing fine and then just made a bunch of errors in the fifth inning," Murray said. "We only lost by one run, but everyone felt like we lost by a lot more."
Still, both players look back on their senior seasons with a sense of satisfaction.
"I learned an awful lot about pitching and playing against different teams," Murray said.
What is in store for next year?
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Cunniff is headed for Minnesota State University in Mankato to pursue a nursing degree.
She has talked to the coach about playing for the Division II team, but has not made a decision yet.
"School will be the focus for me," Cunniff said. "I know it would be a lot of fun, but it is not my top priority."
Murray is headed to Augustana, where she received a scholarship to play on the Division II softball team.
After enjoying an internship at Grey Cloud Elementary School, Murray will likely go for a major in elementary education.
To prepare for her collegiate career, Murray is playing on a Wisconsin all star team this summer.
Both players earned all conference honors in the Suburban East Conference, along with a spot on the academic all state team.
Murray was also an all state honorable mention selection.
