George sisters ignite Dukes

Kevan Maciver / senior photographer Junior right-handed pitcher Liz George, right, and her sister, freshman shortstop Katie are two major reasons why the Dukes' are currently tied for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

JMU has a sister act — and it doesn’t star Whoopi Goldberg in a habit. It features sisters Liz and Katie George.

The Virginia Beach natives and Tallwood High School products came to Harrisonburg to play softball for the Dukes with Liz being a member of JMU’s very first recruiting class.

Liz George is a junior right-handed pitcher, who can be found ranging the outfield when she’s not in the circle. Katie George is a true freshman starting shortstop and resident leadoff hitter.

Eight weeks into the 2004 softball season, the two sisters are turning out to be a double threat with a hardy disposition for competition.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to coach sisters,” coach Katie Flynn said. “They work really hard and are very competitive.”

“You don’t want to get them mad,” she added. “That feistiness and competitiveness is something I really value in a player.”

The elder George leads the team in hitting and, was batting .382 with a home run. Her 39 hits are good for first on the team and her 15 RBI tie her for third amongst her teammates.

In addition to her offensive prowess, she is second in innings pitched (87) and her earned-run average of 3.41 is right behind staff ace, sophomore Briana Carrera. According to George, the double duty only makes her better.

“As a pitcher, I know how pitchers think when I’m batting,” she said. “When I’m down in the count, it definitely gives me an advantage.”

Coach Flynn couldn’t agree more.

“Double duty is tough,” Flynn said. “But, it really helps in the pitching position when you have someone who can hit and play defense; that versatility is very helpful to the team.”

However, younger sister Katie is right on Liz’s heels.

The freshman shortstop trails her older sister in hits by three with 36 and has started all of JMU’s 35 games thus far a feat accented by this year being only her first on campus.

“Everyone here is bigger and faster,” Katie George said. “[Players] hit the balls a lot harder, and it took awhile to adjust to everything happening so much quicker.”

The transition seems to have been successful.

Katie is batting .310 and has crushed 3 home runs tying her for fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association — an apparent oddity for George, considering she had never gone deep until her collegiate career.

“That’s surprising,” the shortstop said. “I really don’t think I’ve hit a home run over the fence in my life, so my first three home runs were in college.”

She also has managed to garner some early conference honors.

For the week ending March 2, she was named CAA Rookie of the Week, which she followed up the very next week by earning CAA Player of the Week honors.

“The first two tournaments [of the season], I didn’t have a starting position,” George said. “I felt like I had to prove myself, so I went out there and tried to play the best I could — it turned out really well.”

Her bat, however, isn’t the only aspect of her game making noise. Coach Flynn loves what Katie can do while patrolling the hole at short.

“She clogs up the whole middle [of the field],” Flynn said. “She gets to things, and, once a week, she does something that makes us, [as coaches of 15 years], say ‘wow’ —and she’s only a freshman.”

Having a sibling on the team has its benefits, according to both sisters. Counsel, support and friendship were listed by both, but, if you’re the elder, it carries certain other advantages.

Freshmen and rookies usually get stuck with the grunt work on sports teams, in both amateur and professional leagues. In softball, that consists of raking, sweeping the field and carrying equipment.

“I think I was harder on her than the other freshman,” Liz George said, “but only because she was my sister and I knew I could get away it. I didn’t get on her too much though.”

It almost didn’t work out for there to be a pair of George sisters playing side by side at the JMU Softball Complex.

Early on, it looked like one sister might not make it in the world of sports.

“When Katie and I first started playing, [our family] thought she was the least athletic [of the two of us],” Liz George said about her sister. “She just didn’t throw right, but she ended up coming this far.”

Fortunately for the Dukes, Katie learned how to throw and now allows JMU to start two talented sisters — a big plus, as the team finds its self in conference play.

Brandishing a record of 12-3 in their last 15 games, the Dukes are riding a hot streak into the CAA portion of their season.

“The team is really coming together, and individually getting better as the season goes on,” Katie George said.

As for the sisters, they just like having each other around.

“I really like having her here,” Liz George said, “We give each other someone to talk to. We understand each other better than anybody.”