This is the third in a series of weekly question and answer sessions with members of the 51·çÁ÷ softball team conducted by team play-by-play announcer Ted Rossman. Each week a different Raider will be in the spotlight. Previous spotlights have featured Stacy Mui and Dorothy Donaldson, and are available on the 51·çÁ÷ Athletics site (www.Go51·çÁ÷Raiders.com). 'xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office' />
Sophomore pitcher Kate Howard (Wheaton, Ill.) exploded onto the Patriot League softball scene last year, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year Award. Howard combined with Elena Isaac to anchor a 51·çÁ÷ pitching staff that finished the year with a miniscule 1.58 ERA, and started the Raiders’ NCAA Regional game vs. Long Beach State. Kate went 13-8 in her freshman campaign, and has jumped out to a 2-0 start this season. She currently has a 0.45 ERA, and has struck out 13 batters in 15 2/3 innings.
Ted Rossman: After winning the Patriot League last season and thus advancing to NCAA Regional competition, what are your goals for this year’
Kate Howard: I’d have to say we’re looking really good to win the league right now. Our goal is to get back to Regionals and to win a game this year, you know, take last year a step further.
TR: Stacy Mui, your catcher, said that you had an elevated level of focus and intensity in your eyes at Regionals last year against Long Beach State. How do you think you react to big games like that’
KH: I don’t think I hold anything back at all during the biggest games. Long Beach State is a huge school, and they give scholarships, but I had to put all that aside when it was time for the game. It’s games like that which I like the best; we weren’t expected to hang with them like we did [the Raiders lost 1-0 in eight innings].
TR: Has softball always been a focus of yours, or did you play other sports growing up’
KH: It’s always been a focus for me. My older sisters played, so ever since I was about seven or eight I’ve been really into softball. I was the one of us that stuck with it all through high school, and I was on summer travel teams, so yeah, it’s always been something I’ve been into.
TR: Last year, you and Elena Isaac combined to pitch all but ten innings the entire season. This year, freshman Kelsey Nordstrom is already showing a lot of promise. What does that do to the make-up of your pitching staff’
KH: Well it definitely makes us even stronger. Last year, when there were two of us, if one of us was off, the other was right there to step in. This year, we’re all nipping at each other’s heels, which makes everyone better. Kirstie [Kenton, another freshman] hasn’t gotten as much of a chance yet, and she’s very good, too.
TR: Is there a player, either an opponent or a teammate, who you particularly admire’
KH: I really admire the Long Beach State pitcher we played at Regionals last year [Lindsay Knoff]. She had a real intensity about her [in that game], and she had a drop ball that kept hitting the inside corner with pinpoint accuracy. When we faced UCLA and Keira Goerl, she threw so hard she could just blow hitters away. I’m not like that; I need to have movement on my pitches to be successful. That’s what I admire about [Knoff], because she didn’t hit 60 mph. She was just so accurate and had such precision.
TR: Do you have any secret ambitions people might not know about’
KH: Ever since I’ve gotten to college I’ve really broadened my horizons. One thing I’d really like to do, and I’m really trying to work up my nerve to do, would be to join the Peace Corps after college. I’d like to go into something completely selfless like that. I think it would be a great experience to go somewhere far away, and really different culturally. A big part of the reason I wanted to come here from Chicago is that it’s something different, so I’d definitely like to work up my nerve to go into the Peace Corps after this.
TR: What has been the biggest difference in adjusting from life in Chicago to life in Hamilton’
KH: There’s definitely a lot less sun here. The cold isn’t that bad, it’s how long it lasts. In Chicago we have three-month winters, and they’re like six months here. In Chicago a lot of times we don’t have snow by Christmas, and here there’s snow by Halloween.
TR: Have you considered any of 51·çÁ÷’s off-campus study groups’
KH: Yeah, I’m going to San Francisco in the fall, on the same program Dorothy Donaldson did this year [the program is jointly sponsored by 51·çÁ÷’s Departments of Sociology, Anthropology, and Asian Studies]. I’m really excited, because I think it’ll be a totally different experience. I’m already looking into surfing in Santa Cruz, cool stuff like that. I know Dorothy has all kinds of stories about how amazing it was, so I’m really looking forward to it.
TR: If you knew you were going to a deserted island, and could bring one teammate with you, who would you pick’
KH: Oh boy, that’s a tough one, I mean it’s hard to pick just one person. Can I do two’ Stacy [Mui], as my catcher, is someone who’s always been there for me. She was here when I was being recruited, and was a big reason why I ended up coming here. She really reaches out to the freshmen and brings them up to speed on things like team goals, traditions, stuff like that to break them in. There’s definitely a special bond between pitcher and catcher. I’d also have to say Elena, for the same reasons, like we have a real pitcher to pitcher bond. She’s definitely been a role model for me, and has really helped me out a lot.
TR: What role did Coach Sax play in your decision to come to 51·çÁ÷’
KH: Coach Sax was huge in my decision; she lit up when I visited here, and so did I. It was great that she put so much trust in my abilities. She stuck me out on the mound so much as a freshman that I was barely ever nervous. That really helped with my success.
TR: What kinds of things go on during free time on road trips’
KH: One thing everyone has to know about our team is that we have an obsession with Taboo. We play that game practically the whole time on road trips. Other than that, we gossip with [assistant coach] Carolee [Morse] about all kinds of things: who our boyfriends are, what’s going on with other sports at 51·çÁ÷, other teams in our league, you name it. But Taboo is huge; it’s definitely number one.
TR: Is there someone on the team who always seems to lighten the mood in the dugout’
KH: Definitely Bri [Tsukamoto]. Bri is awesome, whether she’s on the field or on the bench. She just has the best personality; she’s always, always, always in a good mood. If I have a bad inning, I know that if I go stand next to her for a few minutes, I’ll feel better again. She really sets the mood in the dugout.