The St. Bonaventure University softball team needed reinforcements coming into the 2017 season after graduating seven seniors following the 2016 season.
Some of those new faces are already showing what they have on the diamond and on the mound.
Seven freshmen replaced the graduates this season. Among them are shortstop Emma Borysevicz and outfielder Elizabeth Enovitch, who have seen the field in 20 out of the team’s 28 games.
Pitchers Rylee Hehir and Sam Wood are also getting playing time.
Hehir has mostly pitched as a reliever, making five starts out of her 14 appearances, while Wood has pitched 11.1 innings in seven appearances.
Hehir said playing Division I softball is a dream and called playing on Joyce Field everyday fascinating because she transferred from Seton Hill University.
“It was like a whole other world of softball,” Hehir said. “I always take a moment to pause and just take it all in. Being able to play [softball] is a privilege that not many athletes have. It’s pretty cool to be the rookie on the staff and have time in games, especially in Atlantic 10 play.”
Bonaventure’s inclement weather and long winters can wreak havoc on the spring sports seasons, but that didn’t stop the freshmen from choosing to become Bonnies for the next four years.
According to Wood, the small, beautiful campus is what drew her in. Being from a rural area, she wanted a school that was similar to her home. Enovitch searched for a college where she could continue playing softball at the top level that could also provide a highly regarded science program, and Bonaventure checked all the boxes for her. Hehir found Bonaventure after she talked to sophomore first baseman Allie Piergustavo, who she played summer ball with, and said she loves it here after transferring.
Once she got settled into the team, Enovitch said she wanted to learn as much as possible and take advantage of any opportunities given to her during her first year.
“I had no expectation of getting playing time, as the team is full of great players, essentially an all-star team,” Enovitch said. “Everybody on this team came in as the best player on their high school team, so I knew I was going to have to work hard and push myself, and that I eventually would get an opportunity.”
Now that the team is in midseason form, Hehir said she has seen progress from when the team travelled to North Carolina at the beginning of the year.
She said the team’s end goal is obviously to make the Atlantic 10 tournament, but more so to play every game hard and always strive to win.
“We have a ‘nobody makes the last out’ kind of mentality when we’re in games,” Hehir said. “I think keeping a positive attitude and grinding each day while having fun is the key to success for us.”
Softball is now in the midst of Atlantic 10 play, which will run until the end of the season.
Wood and Enovitch said they both want to continue the improvement they have seen in their game to this point and help out the team in whatever way they’re needed.
As she continues in the program, Enovitch said she also wants to become a good role model for new girls on the team.
“The coaches and my teammates have made this team such a welcoming environment,” said Enovitch. “I want to make sure that when I’m an upperclassman, I provide the same type of atmosphere to the incoming players.”
Hehir said the rest of the season would be all about getting experience under her belt.
“I’ve learned as a pitcher, it’s a game of inches. I have to continue to gain confidence in myself and control the one part of the game I can. By doing my job in the circle, I know I can definitely help my team win a lot of games,” Hehir said.
Even after recently joining the team, Hehir said she has seen improvement in her game and is excited for what she can do in the future.
“Just in the four short months that I’ve been here, I have been able to command my pitches better and have the mentality that every opportunity I have on the mound is a chance to help my team,” Hehir said. “By the time I am a senior I would like to help the team go all the way to A-10’s and potentially win it all.”
signorra15@bonaventure.edu
