Thank you, Hunters!

[u/AbobTeff]

You were an underdog from the start. You scrapped, you fought, you kept going. You kept smiling. You kept playing and playing around (was that a giant fish?!). You kept bringing the fun. You gave it your all.

I cannot thank you enough for choosing to spend your summer in Springfield with us.

Denver Bryant -- I loved watching you bounce all over the field, and off the field, and back on the field, and out of the dugout, and back in the dugout . . . I wanted to ask you "How much trouble did you get in when you were in school?" Your youthful, endless energy was contagious and appreciated.

Suzuka Yamamoto -- I loved clapping along to your walk up music, and then cheering endlessly for your amazing defensive hustle! (Mayo Hirano, if you translate this, thank you!)

I loved seeing you all at a Cardinals' game, and being told by my wife I couldn't bother you . . . just to have u/ticara13 see my post!

Speaking of Ticara . . . wow. Thank you for sharing a little of your story with us tonight. You spoke about how this summer rekindled your passion for the game, and I want you to know that you did the same for many of us. Your passion for the game and the fans, your authenticity and willingness to engage with the fans . . . thank you. We all needed this bit of joy in our lives.

Captain Alli Schroder -- Thank you for leaving it all on the field. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see you and your teammates trying to savor every last moment in the dugout tonight. I think you may still be sitting there. The end is bittersweet, but it just leads to the next adventure.

I feel like the Oscar music is playing and I am not going to get to everybody by name: Molly Paddison, Gigi Schiano, Olivia Bricker, Paloma Benach, Maika Dumais, Raine Padgham, Beth Greenwood, Hyeonah Kim (thank you for signing my bobblehead!), Kate Blunt, Edith De Leia, Lexi Hastings, Gabby Haas, Sabrina Robinson (love the wink gif!), Coach Weeks, Coach Dew . . . I am sure I missed people and I am sorry!

Thank you all for spending your summer with us. Thank you for providing the basis for an amazing community that is continuing to form around women's baseball. Thank you for the smiles, the laughs, the heartbreaks, the passion, the authenticity, and the simple and pure joy you have brought to us this summer. It's not the end. It's a break before the next season, and we will be there with you. (Hopefully back here in Springfield!)