This spring season, Suffolk University softball is one of the best teams on campus. Their record currently stands at 14-13, the months of March and April have brought 24 games and the team still has a ways to go. They are back in full swing, literally.
The roster is home to a small group of 15 players ranging from freshmen to graduate students. Because it is a smaller team compared to most other collegiate teams, there are only so many players to fill the nine positions on the field.
Something that specifically stands out about this team is that there are only two pitchers. One of them is Lily Newhall, a senior captain, who has been a standout player both offensively and defensively.
Within this team, there are three seniors and one graduate student. Newhall spoke to what this last season means to her and the other upperclassmen, and how, because it’s such a small group, it is extra special.
“This is a very close, tight-knit group. We’re just working on playing together, working hard every day at practice, it’s been fun so far, especially senior season,” she said.
Another thing that’s special about this team is that they just recently had their first home game in two years, because they didn’t have a field available to them nearby. Their new home base, Griswold Park in Revere, saw its first action April 11, with two wins against Gordon College.
As a senior, alongside other captains Catherine Carignan and Jolie Quintana, Newhall is leading the team with the expectation that the team will continue to compete aggressively while still managing to have fun throughout the rest of the season.
Since the season’s end is starting to be just around the corner already, Newhall says going forward, she is making the most out of what the team has left.
“Some goals I just have for myself is just to pick each other up, we only have five regular season game days left so that’s kind of hitting now, so just having fun with it, but also competing hard,” said Newhall.
Newhall, batting middle in the lineup, is currently leading the team in home runs with three, and has a batting average of .339. She is also working the mound, with a 4.00 ERA. She is considered a very valuable player to the team because of her versatility, which has proven useful to the team’s success. Newhall spoke to this, saying how, at the end of the day, it’s still a team effort.
“It makes the game way more fun when you’re able to help out both ways. I get to hit, and I get to pitch and when I’m not pitching, I’m at first base, so it’s any way to help really,” said Newhall. “We all love to win and we’re all here to win, everyone also wants to be contributing both ways.”
Going forward, all the team’s remaining regular-season games are conference matchups, meaning there are a lot of significant games that may make or break this season, including Endicott College at the end of the month. Newhall said she already knows how the team can play based on their past games, so she is confident in their ability to make it far.
“We went to California in February and went 3-1, so going out there and facing that kind of competition, we were able to play up to even higher than our standards, so we know how much potential we have,” said Newhall. “So just going into conference, we know what we want our goal to be at the end of the season, conference champion.”
The team faces off against the University of Hartford for their next doubleheader on Saturday, April 18.
