Cailla Prisco
Equinox Staff
Being a softball pitcher means a lot of the pressure of the game falls on your shoulders, but being a great pitcher, a great hitter and a team player is an even more immense pressure. Sophomore Olivia McGrath is carrying just that as she follows in senior Molly St. Germain’s footsteps as one of the Owls’ starting pitchers next season.
Not only has McGrath excelled in pitching, but she currently has the third highest batting average on the team, following sophomore Cassie Woods and St. Germain.
St. Germain says that McGrath’s pitching has improved skill-wise, “[McGrath] has improved in the sense of she has more control with her pitches, she can make them do whatever she wants and she also had a year to figure out the college strike zone. That is one of the more difficult things to figure out sometimes and she’s worked very hard.”.
There are stereotypes that pitchers can’t or won’t hit, but Keene State players have broken every one of these stereotypes.
“I would say overall her batting average is high for any player. It’s even more awesome that she has this average while also being a pitcher. Olivia is a good example of [the] broken stereotype,” said St. Germain.
McGrath finished her sophomore season with 23 hits, 53 at-bats and seven runs as a hitter.
McGrath said she owes a lot of her success to hard work.
“It definitely came with time and working hard at practice. My swing has changed a lot since coming to Keene State so it was all about applying my corrections,” said McGrath.
McGrath said that having St. Germain as a mentor and someone to look up to really helped her form.
“I think my mindset has changed this year, and just having more fun while playing. Being on the same team as Molly has helped me trust my abilities, and knowing the rest of the team is there right behind us helps as well,” said McGrath, “She really pushes each player to be their best at all times.”As a senior who has finished her softball career, St. Germain said that McGrath needs to “enjoy the strikeouts.”
“Throw hard, and enjoy these last two years to take in every moment you are on the mound,” St. Germain continued to say that McGrath should “Hold [her] head high and spin the ball like she always does.”
McGrath has big plans for next season, including getting stronger and more precise.
“I’d like to get stronger as a player. We also have a lot of returners next season so hopefully we can grow as a team and make it to the LEC tournament. That’s the goal,” said McGrath.
Keene State softball finished their season with a record of 13-21 and a LEC record of 7-9. They will lose two seniors from their team including St. Germain and Julie Elwell.
Cailla Prisco can be contacted at
cprisco@kscequinox.com
