Ravens softball hungers for success

by Andrew Hoenig

Only eight games into the season, new talent is emerging on the Ravens softball team and head coach Hannah Griffin is excited about what it could mean for the rest of the upcoming year.

“Right now we are really focused on trusting the process. Each day and each game we get a little better,” said Griffin.

The team started 0-6 after dropping all their games in February in the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona.

Although it was hard to put a number on how many games she thought the team might win, Griffin reiterated, “I see this team getting better and most importantly the players are staying hungry.”

In Griffin’s first season with the team, the Ravens went 1-34 and did not get their sole win until the 20th game, 6-5 versus Bentley. This year it only took them seven games to get their first win.

Cassidy Sorenson takes the plate (Photo: Alison Palma)

There’s belief that the Ravens will improve upon last season’s inauspicious record as Griffin and the team have young rising talent in freshmen such as first baseman Bre Eastlick and pitcher Cyrena Zemaitis.

Infusing them with veteran leadership from the like of seniors that include center fielder Cassidy Sorenson, outfielder Jillian Ostrander, third basemen Dominique Bisaccia, and outfielder Abbigael Cook have Griffin fired up about the future of the team.

“The seniors have been leaders and some of the biggest competitors on the field. You can tell they’re giving their last run all they have,” Griffin said. “I’m so excited for the seniors [because] they have been successful each game and continue to get better. They are truly the core of FPU softball.”

Ostrander leads the team so far in at-bats with 25, while Eastlick has 10 hits, 7 runs, and 2 RBIs on 21 at-bats resulting in a team-high batting average of .476 and a slug percentage of .619.

Zemaitis is 1-2 in her three appearances on the mound, pitching a total of 20 innings, and compiling an ERA of 2.10.

“[It’s] pretty exciting to see freshman start off their collegiate career in this fashion as [Eastlick and Zemaitis have] and I can’t wait to see them continue to grow as players,” said Griffin. “Both players are super hot right now and we are running with it.”

The Ravens were defeated by seven or more runs in four of the Cactus Classic games but had close matchups, losing to Fort Lewis College 5-3 and Dixie State University 2-1.

In the team’s two away games following their six-game skid, the Ravens got their first win of the season at St. Thomas Aquinas College in a doubleheader, winning 8-1 in the opening game of the series.

One of the Ravens rising talents, Bre Eastlick, was recognized just eight games into the season (Photo: athletics.franklinpierce.edu)

Eastlick had three at-bats during the course of the game and scored 2 runs on 2 hits and had 1 RBI. After her overall performance in both matchups, Eastlick was named the NE-10 Softball Rookie of the Week.

Zemaitis pitched the full seven-inning game and faced 24 batters, striking out 8 of them on a pitch count that totaled 96. The fiery freshman only allowed 4 hits and had an ERA of 1 due to a solo homerun by St. Thomas Aquinas catcher Amanda Leone.

When talking about her players, Griffin said, “Bre and Cyrena have really stepped up…[their production] shows just how hard they have worked each day.”

Sorenson also helped lead the Ravens in the game with 2 runs, 2 hits, and 3 RBIs on two at-bats.

Griffin said, “The seniors have set the tone for this team. They have been awesome!”

The Ravens dropped the second game of the doubleheader 7-1, resulting in the team’s current record.

“Consistency is something we are working towards. We are learning from our mistakes and practicing them one day at a time,” said Griffin.

Griffin keeps preaching to her players the significance of hard work and this has already translated to the team’s first win being sooner than when last season’s came.

In their games against St. Thomas Aquanis, the Ravens had several base running mistakes. As a result, the first practice after those games, Griffin dedicated the entire session to having the players work on their base running ability.

The team is striving for consistency in order to see the hard work and improvements they have been making turn into more wins as their season continues.