Hannah Andrewchuk
Equinox Staff
The Blanchette sisters have been playing softball together since they were little. Because of their age gap, they only got to play together for one year in high school, but now the two Owls take on collegiate softball and play on Keene State’s team together. Alexis is a senior captain on the team, pitcher and first baseman while Megan is a first-year on the team anda pitcher as well.
“Alexis is a vocal leader on the field while getting her job done in the circle, at the plate, and at first,” said softball head coach Carrah Fisk Hennessey. “As a senior and as our team captain, she is positive, has worked hard with her teammates on the leadership council to bring this group together and reset the culture of our program.”
Fisk Hennessey described Megan as a quieter player who saw a lot of growth this season.
“Megan is a quiet, get the job done, coachable player. Just yesterday, when coaches acknowledged how far she’s come as a player, she confirmed that she has learned a ton this year,” said Fisk Hennessey. She also explained that separately the Blanchette sisters are strong players and together they help each other in little ways more than their other teammates could.
“Being sisters, we have a different type of bond to the field,” said Alexis when discussing her and her sister’s relationship on the team. “We know tiny, little tips and tricks to keep each other positive and on top of our game.”
Although both are pitchers, they have different techniques that work well for them.
“Both are open to feedback and have the ability to keep batters off balance when pitching,” said Fisk Hennessey. “Alexis as a lefty with spins and pop and Megan as a righty with a killer drop.”
The Blanchette sisters’ plan was not to go to the same school originally. Alexis came to Keene State in the fall of 2016 as a first-year while her sister was still a sophomore in high school.
“I ended up at Keene State because when I stepped on campus it felt like home,” explained Alexis. “Coach Carrah was very welcoming and helped me a great deal with adjusting to college… I think one of the biggest reasons Megan ended up here as well was through her visits to campus and seeing the amazing team culture of KSC softball.”
When it came time for Megan to start looking at colleges, she too saw Keene as her home. Megan described her story by saying, “Originally, I wanted to go to a different school than where my sister was going because I wanted a different experience, but for the three years she was there before me, I visited a lot and the school slowly started to feel like home to me as well. And now, I love knowing that if I ever need anything while I’m away from home, she’s less than a mile down the road.”
Hannah Andrewchuk can be contacted at:
handrewchuk@kscequinox.com
