May 11, 2018
By Hector Rios-Morales
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Everything that has a beginning has an end. Nearly four years after Courtney Shea first arrived at Auburn, her time as a student-athlete is coming to an end. And now she is preparing to embark into a new journey far away from dugouts and softball fields.
"I kind of joke around my teammates and I tell them that I am not old enough for all of this to be happening because I still feel like I am a freshman," Shea says, with a melancholic tone as if memories from her past glories started to appear in front of her.
With that same look, she added, "Not being able to see them every day is going to be different. Not being able to go into a room with the 25 girls that you've been through so much."
But the melancholic start was then replaced by a much more mature tone. Shea has gained the reputation through her hard work and commitment as one of the leaders among the team.
"When my teammates come to me, they know exactly what they are going to get," she said. "I don't sugarcoat things. I have always been a vocal leader, and I have always tried to lead by example as well."
Even though Shea has been on the team for four years, her dedication has been the same as the first day she put on a shirt with the Auburn crest on the front. Straightforward and fully committed, she has always been one of those players that stepped up during the turbulent times. And now, the only legacy she wants to leave behind is for her teammates and coaches to acknowledge how hard she worked for the program.
"The only things I would ever want anyone to say about me is that I worked hard and I was honest," Shea said. "I am not and will not be the best catcher in the program's history. But it does not really matter if my name gets remembered as one of the great players here if my teammates don't care for me at all."
For every athlete, putting an end to their career can be one of the hardest things they have ever done. For some, it's all they've ever known.
The journey for Shea started nearly 20 years ago when she was only four years old - that's when softball was first introduced to her - and now it's quickly approaching the end. She graduated last weekend, and the NCAA Regionals begin next week. It was a journey that brought dreams, goals, experiences and most importantly, life lessons.
"It might not have been what I wanted it to be, maybe I didn't get all the starts that I wanted to get, but I know I am a better person because of this experience," Shea said.
"I am kind of excited (that it's ending) and that sounds bad. I have been doing softball since I was four, and I am sad that I am going to be leaving my teammates. I am sad about those moments on the field. But as far as the game goes, it has given me what it needed to."
The vocal leader that once demanded more effort from her teammates will now apply those same skills in her own life as she pursues other passions like photography or skiing, a hobby she had to give up for a long time as she was afraid of suffering an injury while having fun in the snow.
With an internship awaiting her in Chicago this summer, Shea is knocking on the doors of adulthood and independence. A new beginning waits for her and her fiance, former Auburn offensive lineman Braden Smith. The two will get married next March.
As for Smith, he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the NFL draft, which means starting life in a new city where the young couple has never been before.
"I am looking forward to supporting Braden as he goes into his next chapter in football," Shea said. "That is a big deal to me. The fact that I will have to base my career around where he is, it's kind of new to me. But I am excited about it."
Though the future looks bright, it will take Shea some time to fill the gap left by softball.
"My favorite moment of being an athlete is every time I get to run to home plate with my teammates and see them smiling," she said. "They are normally more excited for me than I am for myself."