BY: Khalise Harris & Brandon Murdock
Winters in Connecticut are no joke, whether it be freezing temperatures or a few inches of snow and unpredictable conditions. This forces the Quinnipiac softball team to begin the first half of its season on the road every year.
While it can be tough to be on long roadtrips, the team has found success being far away from home to begin the year, having come back up north with winning records — a 9-8 mark in 2023 followed by a 9-5 record in 2024.
The Bobcats play their first in-state game on March 22, despite starting their season Feb. 14. This means a lot of traveling each weekend for the team, whether it’s by bus or plane, heading south to find accessible fields. . This requires them to stay prepared both physically and mentally while balancing academics, training and competition on the road.
“I think it’s actually just an adjustment for the younger ones, because this is different,” head coach Hillary Smith said. “You could play travel ball, but this is a different beast, because they’re also juggling school, and that’s not easy, especially at Quinnipiac. It’s such high standards, and they have high standards for themselves in this athletic department, and they really push themselves. So to be able to manage all of that, it is tough.”
As a young player in a collegiate program, it can be hard to balance these things, in addition to the team’s lengthy travel schedule.
So how do the older players play a role in getting the new arrivals comfortable?
“That’s where leaders come in,” Smith continued. “That’s where the upper class comes in, and the freshmen, know, the first years, that they can lean on them for help.”
The team is full of experienced upperclassmen, who serve as role models for the freshman, providing guidance both on and off the field.
“A big part of it is them watching us do it because we’re really good about it if we’re on the bus, when we put on our headphones we’re locked in,” said junior infielder Sofia Vega. “I think once everyone is quiet on the bus it really helps the freshman to be in their work.”
To help maintain focus on academics during road trips, the team has a system called “study tables.” During this time, all players sit together with their laptops out. Whether they have assignments to complete or not, they must be engaged in something productive.
“Some of us have the same classes as them, too, so it helps us stay on top of them,” junior infielder Natalia Apatiga said.
While on the road, a typical weekend once the team arrives is usually a practice day, where the team can relax a bit after settling in, eat then prepare for the next day’s opponent.
Traveling to warmer places and competing alongside teammates creates an exciting experience for the team. These trips strengthen team chemistry and build camaraderie, as the players are together 24/7 on these trips both on and off the field.
“We try to do as much as possible, get together and go to restaurants,” Vega shared. “Obviously the softball part is super nice to be somewhere else, play on different fields,and viewing different places.”
The players spend long hours traveling, passing the time with different activities like playing cards, talking about the Bachelor or even doing karaoke together, which builds team chemistry while not on the field. The strong connection and familiarity with each other could be a difference-maker as they battle through the heart of their schedule.
So far, the team has competed in just one tournament – the Roar City Invitational, hosted by Tennessee State University. However, weather issues in Tennessee limited Quinnipiac to only two games.
This is a familiar challenge for the Bobcats, as last season they had games cancelled after a long bus ride from Texas to Arkansas.
“We’re just grateful when we do get to play and we try to treat every rep and every inning that we do get with that much more intensity because we know it’s out of our control,” Smith said.
“Obviously you’re mentally prepared to play all these games, but once these games get cancelled it’s almost like ‘Next thing.. let’s flip the page, let’s start over,’” Vega said.
Each team wants the same thing: to win. But how does the motivation stay strong within the team, especially with all the traveling?
“The biggest part is them, ” Smith said. “When they have passion and when they want something, that’s something that fuels me as a coach. They push me everyday and they motivate me everyday to want to get them better. When I see them get the thing that they want it just pushes me to want a better coach.”
Long bus and plane rides can tire players out, so when they aren’t playing, they take recovery seriously. They stretch, do yoga two to three times each trip, and always have an athletic trainer with them at all tournaments. The team also supports each other, helping remind one another to stay hydrated throughout the journey.
What are some of the challenges for the team?
“It’s just the amount of girls we have at the airport,” Apatiga said. “Having to wait for every single girl to go through security. It’s so long, and we get there super early and we wait two hours before we board.”
But after the hard part at the airport, the team huddles together, keeping each other company or doing their own thing, listening to music or reading. They’re,“Keeping a level head through all the chaos,” Vega said. Grounded not by a home field, but by each other.
