Monaca softball coach Debbie Braddock doesn't get any complaints about playing her daughter too much. In fact, Abbey Braddock has not been in one game in three seasons.
But she still finds a way to contribute.
"Abbey is our cheerleader," Debbie said. "She is the morale booster. She loves being part of the team. She is not very athletic, but she does everything every player does at practice. Her teammates know she prefers being on the sidelines. There are usually kids who beg a coach to play, but she prefers not to play."
Abbey said it doesn't matter if she ever gets on the field. Just being able to spend time with her mother and teammates in the dugout, on the bus rides, at practices and games is enough.
Abbey and Debbie, Monaca residents, are most likely one of the only mother-daughter combinations in WPIAL softball. Their lives are about more than games, however. The two didn't have a game or practice Sunday, but spent the day together to celebrate Mother's Day.
"Mother's Day is special to me," Debbie said. "Softball has brought us closer. We have a rule at our house that after a game is over -- win or lose -- we try and not discuss it too much at home. It is just a game.
"I told the kids to take off (yesterday) and enjoy Mother's Day with their moms. Softball is only part of their lives. Being with their mothers is more important."
Abbey and Debbie often stand next to each other during a game and sometimes share advice about the team, which is having a successful season. Monaca is 13-2 overall, 8-1 in Section 5-A and plays at Rochester (3-10, 1-7) today in the final game of the regular season. A Monaca win would give the Indians at least a share of the section title with Union (9-5, 7-1).
Monaca junior shortstop Kaley Reda said while it is unusual that Abbey does not want to play, the players understand.
"We love her," Reda said. "She is the heart and spirit of this team. I can't imagine the team without her. It would be too quiet. I think she should go in, though, even if it is just for one inning."
So does her mother, who said she still holds out hope her daughter will want to play today.
Abbey, a senior who has been on the team since her sophomore year, says she prefers to leave a spot for a younger player to get in a game. She plans to keep her streak of not getting into games intact.
"I love having Abbey as part of the team," said Debbie, in her fourth season. "I believe if a kid wants to come out for the team and be a part of it, then I will give her that opportunity."
Abbey does have a key position on the team. She is the liaison between the players and coach. If there is something the girls don't like, Abbey will discuss it with her mother.
Abbey might not be a power hitter or top-notch fielder, but she knows the rules. In a game against Shenango earlier this season, Abbey noticed Shenango made an illegal substitution. After a pitch, Abbey looked at her dad, Mike, who is an assistant coach along with Jessica Pavolinch, a teacher in the district, and said, "Hey, they can't do that." She was right. Shenango left the bases loaded that inning.
"Abbey is responsible for getting us out of that jam without ever being on the field," said Debbie, who played at Penn State. "She also is the first person to tell one of her teammates things are OK, and if they make a mistake, she will comfort them and give them confidence to forget about a bad play and go out and make something good happen. She was voted happiest in the senior class."
Mike Braddock said Abbey has a beautiful swing and could play if she wanted to.'
"But we don't push her," he said. "She has never liked to sweat. She is 100 percent girl."
Abbey wears No. 17 because her cousin, Kelly Goedeker, had that number. She said she knows she can play if she wants to, but would feel like she is taking a spot away from another player. Abbey, 17, will attend California (Pa.) in the fall. She said she might see if she could help out the softball team.
Abbey's graduation won't put an end to there being a mother-daughter combination at Monaca. Abbey's 14-year old sister, Emily, will be a freshman in the fall. Emily gets upset if she doesn't play, Debbie said. She added Emily plays all kinds of sports, and if Debbie would tell her to go to right field, Emily would say she wants to play shortstop.
"I don't want to sit and cheer from the bench," Emily said. "I want to play."
