file photos
by Georgiana Rushworth
staff writer
Why does Cabrini College need a softball field? Take a typical practice day for example. “I have class at 3:10p.m. every Wednesday, but have softball practice from 2-4p.m. ,” Junior Megan Johnston said. “We all pack up the equipment, pile into a car, and begin our search for a field. After hopefully no more than fifteen to twenty minutes of searching, we find a field, which is most likely in bad condition and increases our chances of injury. We begin to warm up and I hope that someone will be able to give me a ride back to campus because I don’t have a car and don’t want to be late for class.
Meanwhile, another player has class until 3:10p.m. ,so she is hoping that we found a phone and left a message at the Dixon Center front desk because she has no idea where we are. It is a lot of hassle that could be avoided if we had a home field on campus,” said Johnston.
Cabrini College’s softball program has been outstanding, since Bridget Baxter became the Head Coach and she is now in her fourth season. Cabrini College had a home field a few years ago, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association made a rule that you could no longer have a grass infield, it had to be made of dirt. Instead of Cabrini skinning the grass the team moved their home games off campus to Phoenixville.
Without a home field the team is constantly traveling to games and practices, which leads to increases travel expenses for buses and food and missed classes.
“We not only have to worry about spectators not knowing where to go to cheer on the softball team, but umpires get lost and so do other teams looking for our field, said Baxter. “Sometimes we don’t even know where the games will be held until that day.”
If you still are questioning whether they deserve a field, take a look at their record. 39-9 Penna. Athletic Conference Champions, National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional Finalists, and they have gone further than any team ever at Cabrini College. They also finished in the top sixteen in the country and hosted the PAC Championships the last two years, not at Cabrini, but at Eastern.
“In the fall the team is up at 6a.m. working out and training for their spring softball season. They sacrifice a lot for Cabrini and deserve a place to play,” said Baxter. “They always come to practices early and stay late to improve.”
Greg Kulnis, junior, supports the softball team and tries to make it to every home and away game as their number one fan. He is making the trip with the team to Georgia where they are going over spring break to practice, scrimmage and play in a tournament. “They have gone the furthest in any intercollegiate competition and they deserve the ability for their fellow students to recognize their talents,” said Kulnis.
Many girls come to Cabrini because of the opportunity to play softball for a winning program, while getting their education. Baxter does her best to establish the softball program, along with Assistant Coach Karen Pelky. “It is hard at times to justify how great our program is without showing recruits and their families a home field,’ explains Baxter. Every team in the PAC has a field or a home on campus and most high schools and some junior high teams have home fields.
