Cancellations Doubly Disappointing For Softball Star Forbes
Like most college spring sports athletes, Tatyana Forbes was disappointed when the NCAA suspended all intercollegiate competition on March 12, then subsequently canceled the entire spring season a few days later.
But the NC State softball star was doubly disappointed.
As a member of the Mexican national team, Forbes was also looking forward to traveling to Tokyo this summer to play in the Olympic Games once her college season was done.
It's a dream that has now been deferred because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
"It was frustrating at first," said Forbes, who is doing her best to stay philosophical about a situation over which she has no control. "But now I have a whole other year to prove myself."
Forbes and other upperclassmen around the country were given the opportunity at a do-over when the NCAA granted all athletes affected by the cancellations an extra year of eligibility.
She wasted little time taking advantage of the waiver, becoming one of three "Corona Seniors" to announce her intention to return to the Wolfpack in 2021.
With the Olympics having been rescheduled for next July 23-Aug. 8, the left-handed hitting outfielder will also get to make the trip to Tokyo for Mexico's first ever softball appearance in the Games.
"It's really exciting," she said. "it's going to be my fourth year with (the Mexican) team. At first we weren't that good and every year we've gotten better."
Mexico is currently ranked fifth in the world and is considered a marginal medial contender in Tokyo.
Although Forbes is from Redmond, Wash., she is eligible to represent Mexico in international competition because her mother Marie hails from Mazatlan.
If there's a siliver lining to the postponements, Forbes said it's that she'll be more prepared to balance the dual responsibilities of playing college ball while preparing for the Olympics than she was during the first month of the shortened 2020 season.
Her coach with the Wolfpack, Jennifer Patrick-Swift, will also have more of a feel on how to handle the situation.
"It takes a lot of work," she said. "There were some things Team Mexico required of her. She had to make some flights during the season for drug testing and things like that.
"You don't want to see conflict, because gosh, to be able to represent your country in the Olympic Games, Everybody dreams about that. So few get to do that, so we don't want to hinder them in any way. It's just about being able to work with (Mexican team officials) and make sure we can maintain here and focus on NC State softball."
Her dual participation, of course, is not without risk.
"If our kid that's leading the country in batting average goes down in a tournament," Patrick-Swift said, "we're going to be crying a little bit about that."
At least to this point, there is no crying in softball.
Forbes, who split her first three college seasons between Coastal Carolina and Florida International, was hitting .538 through 15 games when play was halted. her 43 hits were the second most in the country and her on-base percentage of .593 was the best in the ACC.
She also helped Mexico earn its spot in the Olympics by hitting .545 in the Softball Americas Qualifier Surry, B.C., Canada last August, going 1 for 2 in a 2-1 victory against host Canada in the final game.
"I think both the coaches from Mexico and State balance it out well," Forbes said. "Mexico lets me miss some tournaments and NC State has let me miss some things too, so it kind of works out."