Softball
Program
 The
Mount Holyoke softball program emphasizes fundamentals such as
hitting, fielding, and aggressive base running, as well as offensive
and defensive tactics. Players are taught to mix up hitting away
with slap bunts and driving to the opposite field. Defensively,
the team strives to field cleanly, refuse extra bases, dictate
where opponents will hit, and always think a play ahead.
The
program gets under way with "fall ball" in September
and October. At the end of January, training continues with weight
room workouts to build power and strength. Infielders and outfielders
practice separately before the team comes together as a group.
Pitchers begin throwing during January Term. The team travels
to Florida every spring break and competes in at least 10 official
games against teams from all over the country. The regular season
schedule is competitive and includes games against Smith, Wellesley,
Babson, and several other New England Women's and Men's Athletics
Conference (NEWMAC) members, as well as schools such as Amherst,
Wesleyan, and Connecticut College.
The
team's thrilling 3-1 win over Amherst College and double-header
sweep of Smith College (5-4, 5-4) are a few of its recent highlights
in 2002. One player finished the 2002 season as the conference
leader in home runs, and achieved the fourth highest RBI average.
In 1996, the team's first base player led the conference in defensive
statistics, and the center fielder was ranked fifth in the nation
for a batting average of .592. Since 1995, five Mount Holyoke
players have earned All-Conference honors, and one was chosen
as a NEWMAC Rookie of the Year. The program encourages players
with extensive high school experience and those that play A.S.A.
fast pitch summer softball to try out.
As
a Mount Holyoke scholar-athlete, you are driven to excel in the
athletic arena as well as the classroom and laboratory. The discipline,
sense of accomplishment, and competitive edge that you bring to
your sport resonate through every channel of your intellectual
life. The desire to achieve - it's all part of the mind-body connection.
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