The Year Without Softball

The space behind Marshall Field is particularly beautiful in the spring. Mossy grass and fresh leaves dominate the top of the hill, while the Mary Levine field sits peacefully beneath. This time of year normally brings the ding of softball bats, player’s yells, and the sweet clanking of cleats on concrete. This year the field is empty, aside from the joggers and walkers that go by on Wrexham. With the season cancelled and the country at a pandemic induced standstill, our 2020 softball seniors are displaced, but not disheartened. 

 Sarah Lawrence softball was technically born in 2004, a season that totaled 7 games. Since then, the team has grown into playing around 38 games a season. The entirety of the Spring season was canceled along with the second half of the Spring academic season, which has moved completely online due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, playing Zoom softball has its challenges. Sarah Lawrence, of course, is not the only school to close for the rest of the year. NCAA and professional athletes alike are sidelined at home for a season, many mourning the loss of their final seasons in college. 

Our own senior softballers are Kenzie Mindish and Karissa Mcauly. A utility player, Mindish can be found anywhere in the infield. Mcauley can be found throwing heat on the mound or catching heat on first base. Both say they’ve been playing softball since it was tee-ball for 7-year olds. The 2020 squad was able to get a few pre-season practices in February before the campus closed for the semester, but it was nowhere near enough time to see what this season might have held. Both players say that the best part of the season is usually the Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach, where the majority of the season’s games are played, tournament style. 

“I think Myrtle Beach has a lot to do with team bonding, I mean you're with each other all week, playing games, going out to dinner, last year we went mini golfing and we did an escape room, and it was a lot of fun.” Mcauley also noted that the competition at Myrtle Beach can be heavy, since teams come from around the country to play a sort of spring training.

“We once played a team, Kentucky Christian, they weren't an NCAA team but they were so good, it was intense.” Mcauley remembered, smiling. 

In normal Skyline Conference play, Mindish said she was looking forward to playing familiar teams one last time. “I love to play Saint Joe’s Brooklyn or Saint Joe’s Long Island, I always know it will be a good game… but my least favorite team to play is Mount Saint Mary, that’s a rivalry.” Last season the Gryphons posted a .500 record for the second year in a row, going 17-17. Mindish said her favorite wins of last season happened in upsets on other team’s senior days. “Last year everyone chose us to play their senior games against and we ended up beating Mt. St. Vincent on their senior day, it was a double win.”

Aside from winning games and playing competitive softball, Mcauley said she was looking forward to building student support for SLC Softball too. 

“This year I really wanted to do something that Joe has been wanting to do for a while, Fill the Hill, where we advertise the game and get a lot of people to fill the hillside behind the field and have snacks and stuff, but we didn't get a chance to do that this year, obviously.” (To read more about the infamous Joe, check out this profile written by Mcauley herself.)

Both seniors agreed that more people should attend the softball games at Mary Levine Field in the future. “You get the nice sun on the hill and good views from the music building, sometimes you even get music!” Despite their positive attitudes, the players expressed their sadness at losing this final season. “Coach Kevin had to make the phone call to us about the season being cancelled, I mean obviously we kinda knew because of the news and everything but I feel like that call must have been so tough on him, and it was on us too.” Mcauley remembered. “You could tell it was coming, but he didn't want to say it, I started crying.” Mindish added. 

While it seems difficult to find a silver lining to the situation, both Mcauley and Mindish said they were going to continue playing softball in the future. Mcauley in a local 22 and over league in upstate NY, while Mindish hopes to cash in her extra season of eligibility. 

“I think I might use the extra year of eligibility because I'm doing the 5 year teaching program so if it fits with my schedule I will definitely try to play.”

So when you do attend a ballgame on a beautiful spring day next year, (virus-willing), look out for #4, somewhere in the infield. 

Maddie Eppler ‘20