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BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com W hen Alyssa Koorsen was get- ting only a handful of at-bats a season, when she was seeing the field just as infrequently, when she was called upon to be primarily an encourager of teammates, she'd still show up to Purdue's softball field on days off. She'd drag along best friend C.J. Parsons and go to work. She'd get ground ball after ground ball pound- ed at her by her similarly too-com- petitive buddy, who'd quickly bark at her if mistakes were made. She'd take fly ball after fly ball, too, never quite sure which skill would be need- ed most and making sure all were primed and polished. She'd have the pitching machine loaded up, taking hack after hack, working a swing that'd already produced a plus-.500 batting average in high school. Koorsen could have stopped. Could have told Parsons she'd had enough, that it wasn't worth it, all the work for such little tangible reward. In her Koorsen's first three seasons, there were only 22 game appearances, 22 at-bats. Could have told Coach Kim Schuette she was done — maybe should have — once she'd suffered a serious shoulder injury. She didn't. "There were times you go home at night and you're like, 'Why do I do this?' After three years, you're like, 'Why do I do this?'" Koorsen said. "Then you remember it's about the team. It's about not defining who you are as an individual — but it's a big part of who you are as an individual — and it's the love of the team. It's going to practice and being able to enjoy practice, not just getting the spotlight put on you during the game. It's the community you make." But now, finally, Koorsen doesn't have to solely follow the mantra she'd kept on a loop in her mind: Focus on the process rather than the results. Now, finally, the results are for everyone to see. Now, finally, she's no longer waiting for a chance. Now, finally, Koorsen is more than a "team player," more than a spot fill-in. Now, as a senior, Koors- en is seizing her moment. "This year, she's more than just a role player. She has a role," Schuette said. "She has wanted more out of her role and decided that she's go- ing to play through an injury and do what- ever it takes to play her senior year, and she's found that desire." K o o r s e n ' s not only been reliable — she started 49 of the team's 50 games leading into the last weekend of Big Ten Conference play — she's been productive. Through 49 games, her .327 average, 50 hits and 32 runs ranked second on team. And that Fight 'Til The Finish Koorsen seizes senior season Purdue After playing in a limited role in her first three seasons, Alyssa Koors- en has had a breakout year as a senior as a full-time starter. GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 78