Hokie Feature: Club Softball

With COVID-19 affecting all of Virginia Tech sports, the recent news that club softball is able to travel to and host opposing teams was fantastic news to a competitive group hungry to resume play. After so much time off, the Hokies showed that rust wasn't an issue as they swept the East Carolina Pirates in a single day triple header 11-4, 12-4 and 6-1 on April 17. 

“Softball for me is a big stress reliever, so to be able to come out in the middle of a pandemic and play is just a chance to escape reality,” team president Reneee Rodgers said. “It’s just my teammates, the field, the softball and I; it’s just a great feeling.”

For a team that has waited so long to play, just the opportunity to get back on the field has been fantastic for this squad. 

“I was actually on the call when they announced that we were going to be allowed to travel which was super cool because everyone was obviously really excited,” team program director Zoe Kalantzis said. “We were kind of holding out hope but weren’t expecting it at all, so it was a really nice surprise.”

However, like so many other sports teams at Virginia Tech, club softball feels that they have gained just as much off the field as they have accomplished on it.

“It’s kind of hard to make friends on campus with the pandemic and everything, so it’s kind of nice to become personal friends with my teammates,” junior Mia Garrett said. 

But even with this group of girls becoming close friends through the game, that doesn’t mean they still don’t go out to play with a strong will to win.

“We’re all very tough and business-like, but we also are very relaxed and goofy and know when to turn the switch on and off,” said freshman Katie Foust. “We're also very supportive of one another so we need to keep each other accountable while also being good teammates.”