With a record of 2-1 so far in the season, the University/Classical softball team is off to a successful start!

Head coach Marcelino Diaz and assistant coach Nicole Silenok are back for another year of leading the team.

“This season is one of the rare instances where on the first day of practice we had a strong core group of girls,” said Coach Diaz. “In the past we have had to go over a lot of fundamentals within the first week of the season, however this season we have such a strong core group of girls that we were able to work on getting into game shape right away.”

The one loss to their nearly perfect record is their game on April 17th, where they lost to Parish Hill, 15-11.

Grishma Jampal Sudharshanan ‘25 believes and aims for a future of victory, regardless of their loss against Parish.

“I hope that we do recover from that game and do better towards this week and the future.”  Specifically, Jampal Sudharshanan wishes to qualify for the highest level of competition within their conference, and accomplish within a larger scale of competition. “I hope that we win the conference and get into at least the first round of states, and hopefully the second round of states. And to just have fun while we go through.”

Sometimes, the most important things we learn through sports is not athletic or technical ability, but skills applicable in all facets of life. For Isabella D’Agostina ’25, it was softball that taught her how to use her voice. “One of the most important skills I’ve learned from softball is how to really use my voice and speak up. I definitely am very quiet but you need communication in this sport. I’ve taken that [skill] into the classroom and whatnot.” She added that she has been “using skills she hasn’t used before” on the field.

A pregame routine can either make or break a team’s performance on the field. Radhika Thaker ’25 explains the importance of team discussions and setting intentions before a game, in their pre-game routine. “Me and my teammates, we talk when we warm up, we tell each other what we’re going to do, and how this game is going to go and we hype each other up pretty much,” says Thaker.

The University/Classical softball team will compete against schools in the CRAL conference. Comp Sci, Parish Hill, International, Innovation, and Weaver seem to be the teams to beat, as they all made the state tournament last year.

“With us missing the conference playoffs last season every game is the biggest game of the season. We do not want to put ourselves in a position where we miss the playoffs due to another tie breaker,” said Coach Diaz. “I expect to have a competitive season where all girls on the team are showing up ready to work hard and win.”

The upcoming games for this week are on Wednesday, against Bulkeley High School and Friday, against Capital Prep. We’re looking forward to seeing how far the University/Classical softball team goes this season!