Syracuse’s club softball team has become more competitive in recent years, but it was not built on recruiting and scholarships.

“The difference is all the girls on the club softball team really love softball,” said former captain Rachel Morgan. “For me, my (high school) varsity season had just ended a few months before and my team did really well and I kind of had the feeling like, ‘I’m not ready to be done with this.’”

Playing in Liverpool, Syracuse (4-2) is working through this season just like most before. There’s a struggle for pitching depth, but just about everyone on the team plays and some players are even pushed beyond their comfort zone, occasionally playing new positions.

Even though the team is not built around scholarships, it doesn’t lack in talent. When picking a school, just as head coach Jenna Stanzione did, some players on the club team had to make a decision between going to the school they wanted to attend or a school that was recruiting them.

Courtesy of SU Club Softball

“I could have played at a D-II school,” Stanzione said, “but my heart was set on Syracuse. So this is a great opportunity for girls like that.”

Erica Krumbine, a junior infielder, transferred to Syracuse from Wagner, a Division I program in Staten Island. At Wagner, Krumbine was a shortstop, and in 49 starts she produced a .274 average along with 17 runs batted in. The mood playing club at SU, Krumbine said, is much more relaxed than what she experienced with the Seahawks.

Every new freshman class brings new faces, Stanzione said, all of which are passionate about the game. This ensures the team continues to be a mix of intensity and enjoyment.

Three years ago, the team finished with a losing record, but has improved every year since. Last year, the team was just a win away from reaching one of its major goals.

“Last year we were one win away from going to sectionals,” Stanzione said, “Oh God, we were devastated. “

This season, Stanzione is confident her team will find that one extra win and get to sectionals.

“We’re going,” Stanzione said about sectionals. “We’re going.”

Published on October 24, 2017 at 12:23 am