First-team All-PAC and PAC All-Academic are just two of the awards Cabrini’s softball third basemen Kristie Sandefur has received. Sandefur, senior psychology major, has been a major part of the softball team for four years.
In 2008, Sandefur was named PAC Homerun Champion and PAC RBI Champion in 2008. Sandefur finished her 2008 season with nine homeruns and 31 RBIs. She had registered a team-high 36 hits and 26 runs; eight being doubles and three triples. She finished her junior season with a .928 fielding percentage and a .350 batting average.
She has begun her final softball season at Cabrini with a .333 batting average and 12 RBI’s with seven doubles, one triple and two homeruns.
Sandefur started out playing baseball at the age of three. She began playing softball in sixth grade. Since she was 14, she played on a summer travel team called Philadelphia Spirit.
Growing up in South Philadelphia, Sandefur attended Neumann-Goretti High School, where she continued her love of softball. She now plays for Cabrini at mainly third base and also shortstop.
“My main goal for myself this season is to be a good leader for the girls on the team and hopefully help us make it to playoffs and a championship game,” Sandefur said.
She has high hopes for the team this season. Sandefur said, “We have a really great group of freshmen who have stepped up and most of the returning players are natural leaders.”
She said they have enough talent to make it to the CSAC Championship if they play to their potential.
“I think tradition is important to the softball team,” Sandefur said while explaining pre-game rituals. The softball team does the same warm up before every game starting with “Bring Em Out” as the first song on their warm-up CD. They also shout the same sayings before the offensive half of each inning.
Sandefur reminisced of her favorite memory from her four years of college softball. Her sophomore year, the team was supposed to go to Arizona when they got stuck in Chicago for three days. They had to sleep on the airport floor one night while their luggage and equipment went to Arizona. She said it wasn’t funny at the time, but looking back it is pretty hilarious.
Being a senior and a leader on her team, Sandefur has some advice for her team. “You have four years and four years only to play competitively once you get to college. Don’t take any single practice or game for granted because it really goes by too quickly,” Sandefur said.
