With the snow starting to melt, the softball season will soon be underway for the Colgate University Raiders. The team has already played fourteen games over the course of three tournament weekends. After a 9-1 win over Lafayette College on the morning of Feb. 25, the team currently sits with a record of 5-9. Despite the losing record, the team isn’t discouraged, and with the bulk of their season still ahead of them, there is still plenty of time to right the ship.
First-year outfielder Kiley Shelton expressed her optimism about the team’s performance so far. The team has spent the last two weekends in Florida playing in the Hatter Classic and T-Mobile Tournament, where they faced up against some of the nation’s best teams.
“I feel like as a team we’re starting off pretty strong,” Shelton said. “I was just glad that we got to play in Florida and get some wins.”
In the early stages of the season, the team has taken advantage of their access to high-quality competition. Junior catcher Quinn Livesay spoke on the team’s approach when it comes to facing competition from different leagues and levels.
“We’re playing a lot of different levels of competition, so I think we’re just going at each game and treating each one independently,” Livesay said.
Breaking up the season and working on both personal and team goals has been important, according to fifth-year infielder Rachel Carney.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team, myself and my coaches as I know that a few losses won’t hold us back,” Carney said. “I’m excited to get back to work and see what we can do this week.”
Livesay emphasized the importance of preseason and the benefits the early training offers for the team.
“I think, honestly, that’s what preseason is for,” Livesay said. “It’s for learning and growing as a team together.”
Another piece of adversity that the softball team deals with year-round is the weather in Upstate New York. Hamilton, N.Y.’s freezing winter climate is far from ideal softball weather, and that changes the way that the team trains during the winter months.
“The first time we saw a ground ball on dirt was in our first tournament, so that was an adjustment,” said Carney.
Livesay and Shelton made it clear that the team is working hard despite the bumps in the road from earlier on, and that they have confidence in themselves and their teammates going forward.
“There’s a lot of unity with us, and I think that’s why I have a lot of excitement for this season because I love these girls so much,” Livesay said.
Shelton elaborated on the team’s support for one another.
“If one teammate is down, someone else will pick them up, and if someone is doing well, we’ll keep boating that strong energy,” Shelton said.
The players addressed their fans — the Colgate and Hamilton communities — and expressed gratitude for their support at their games.
“We always appreciate our fans and we love seeing them at our games supporting us,” Carney said. “We’re just really excited to show everyone how hard we’ve worked this offseason.”
Livesay encouraged fans to support the team as they enter the heart of their season.
“I want people to come out and come to Eaton Street and I’m really excited for how this season will be,” Livesay said.
Lastly, Shelton doubled-down on the team’s aspirations on the year. She made it clear that there was one goal in focus: a championship.
“Our goal this year is to win the Patriot League Tournament, so just keep your eye out for that,” Shelton said.
The Colgate women’s softball team plays their next game on March 9 in Madeira Beach, Fla., where they will be facing Central Michigan in the Spring Games tournament.
