Hitting homers without even knowing they cleared the fence

Ever heard of a sport called softball? Apparently it’s a lot of fun and Columbia has a team. Softball enthusiast Max Rettig talked to softballer Alyssa Rodia about it.

Bwog: Explain softball briefly. 

Alyssa: Softball is basically baseball, but with a bigger ball and smaller field

B: Tell me about the innings rules-baseball always seems to go the full nine, whereas sometimes softball will end after five. What’s up with that? 

A: Softball only plays seven innings, and there’s a sort of run rule-If a team is winning by eight or more runs after five innings, the game is over.

B: Other than the ball, of course, what are the key differences between baseball and softball? 

A: Many people complain that baseball is boring because it takes so long. Softball is a much faster game because we play on a smaller field made up of only dirt, unlike the baseball diamond which has grass in the infield, and so the ball rolls a lot faster on the dirt and plays are made quicker.

B: Look back on your season. The team got off to a slow start, but picked it up and ended the season pretty well. What drove the turn-around? 

A: One of the biggest reasons we got off to a slow start was because being in New York, the weather is still brutal when we start really preparing for the season, and so we have to practice inside. Houston, one of the first teams we faced, enjoys nice weather so they get on the field a lot earlier than us. Being able to practice where you play, on the dirt, is important. Once the weather warmed up in New York, we were able to really practice mostly outside, which made a huge difference. Also, playing bigger, beater teams earlier in the season prepared us for the Ivy slate in the later part of the season.

B: Being a freshman, you have quite a career ahead of you still. Where do you see the team next year, two years from now, and when you’re a senior? 

A: We shocked a lot of people this season with our play. I think we had the best season in program history. We’re losing a vital senior in Emily Snodgrass, but we’re the youngest team in the Ivy League and we have an exciting freshman class that really stepped up [to the plate]. We were in the mix with Penn for our division title this year, so I definitely think we can improve upon that and win an Ivy League championship in the next couple of seasons.

B: What was the best piece of advice your senior teammate gave you? 

A: Just to stick to the process. Softball is a game of ups and downs, and just to ride those ups and push through those downs. It was really nice to feel like I had someone to look up to and for Emily, our lone senior, to take me, and the other players, under her wing.

B: Describe your best and worst moments on the diamond. 

A: My worst was definitely when I got hit square in the face by a line drive. My best moment, I’d say, was my first collegiate homer; I didn’t even know the ball cleared the fence, so that was really exciting.

B: How do you prepare for pitchers you have or have not seen before, especially those in the Ivy League? 

A: Mostly, I ask my more tenured teammates about different pitchers, and I’ll then go and practice against those pitchers’ tendencies in the cage. For example, if a pitcher is known to throw a low-and-outside curve, I’ll practice hitting low-and-outside curves. I don’t overthink my approach though; I have to just go up to the plate expecting that I can hit against any pitcher.

B: As a freshman, how easy or difficult was it to integrate into the team and learn the culture? 

A: It was definitely an adjustment, meeting brand new people with a brand new team dynamic, but I had the fall semester to learn the culture, integrate, and get to know my teammates. Once spring came, though, I kind of got thrown into the fire, in terms of having to just go out there, play and prove myself.

B: Come up with a sexual innuendo about softball. 

A: Softball players are not afraid to get dirty.

Swingin’ away via Columbia University Athletics/Gene Boyars