STONY BROOK, N.Y. — It started on a 10-and-under softball team in Colorado.
 
It ends this year with Stony Brook.
 
Softball seniors Melissa Rahrich and Riley Craig enter their final season together in 2020, the culmination of more than a decade spent together on the softball diamond.
 
The duo first stepped onto a field together when they were seven years old. Since then, they have spent countless hours together, both on and off the diamond.

Heading into their fourth and final season at Stony Brook, Rahrich and Craig have become one.
 
"We're like the same person," Rahrich said.
 
After playing in a 10-and-under travel league, Rahrich, a first baseman and pitcher, and Craig, a corner infielder, spent time on separate teams for a few years. Then, although they went to different high schools, the two joined together and played the last five years of competitive softball for the same club team.

In what was their first-ever trip to Long Island, the two made their official visits to Stony Brook together. Craig then committed, with Rahrich making her decision to join the program shortly afterward. While they made their decisions independently, all roads led to Stony Brook for both players.

When Rahrich plays first base, Craig will be at third for the Seawolves this season. When Rahirch pitches, Craig likely will slide across the diamond to first base.
 
"It was nice having a 'for sure' friend," Craig said. "It was nice to have someone who understood how I felt when I missed home, because she was from the same place. It was nice to relate to her."
 
Rahrich feels the same way.

"People often times come in by themselves," she said. "It made it a lot easier because I knew her. We met more people after that, but initially, we had each other."
 
Now, although they both play leading roles for the 2020 softball team, it doesn't feel quite real. Whenever coach Megan Bryant sends them a text starting with 'hey, seniors,' the emotions hit.
 
"I hate it," Rahrich said. "I don't want it to end. Every other year, we were like 'Oh, that will be us one day.' It's just weird that it's finally here."
 
The duo did not get to their senior years without countless hours spent working on their craft. Both have developed into middle-of-the-order, everyday players. Rahrich is the two-time America East Player of the Year, with a chance to finish in the top-10 in program history in several offensive categories. Craig has started 92 games over the past two seasons, hitting eight home runs a season ago.
 
"It's absurd to think of how our skill set is now compared with freshman year," Rahrich said. "We're just so much better at this sport. It's crazy to see the growth."
 
The growth has come off the field as well. Being a cross-country flight away from home was hard at first, but has afforded the duo the opportunity to mature at a rapid rate.
 
"I think it has helped me grow into the person that I'm striving to be, and Coach Bryant has definitely helped with that," Craig said. "I didn't know this was what I wanted to be, but the more I progressed throughout these four years, it's become more clear."
 
Before the curtains close on Rahrich and Craig's time together as teammates, they have some unfinished business. Last season ended with a loss in the America East Championship Game. This year, the goal is a ring.

Both believe this is the team to do it.
 
"It just feels special. It feels different," Rahrich said. "We all push each other, and we are able to do so because no one gets offended. It just feels so different and so natural for this team."
 
When the 2020 season gets underway in Madeira Beach, Fla., on Feb. 21 against Colgate, it will be the first of many road trips for the Stony Brook softball team. No matter where the road takes them in their final season together, Rahrich and Craig will always share a common bond.
 
"It's just like having a piece of home with me, no matter where I am," Rahrich said. "It's always really comforting."