Sophomore utility player Emma Dow waiting for her at-bat. (Luc Neacy | Contributing Photographer)

Although they made it to the regionals round in the NCAA Division III Championship in each of the past two years, the No. 6 WashU softball team is hoping to make it to the super regional round for the first time since 2007, the year that many of the first-years were born. The team has set a high standard of success as reigning University Athletic Association (UAA) conference champions. So far this season they have a 22-3-1 record and continue to raise the bar from last year’s 34-7 performance. 

This doesn’t even reflect the dominance that the Bears have had this year. Since starting UAA play, WashU is 10-2, with seven of its victories ending early due to mercy rule. This places it tied for first in the conference and ranked third in the D-III NCAA Power Index with eight games left in regular season play. If the Bears want to reach their third straight NCAA D-III regional, they’ll have to continue to excel and extend their nine-game win streak.

Out of the 24 members of the team, there are 10 new first-years that have wasted no time in making an impact. First-year outfielder Julia Sullo is batting almost .500, reaching base in 55% of her at-bats, and leading the team with 43 hits.

Off the field, the upperclassmen have played a large role in welcoming the younger players to the team. In turn, the first-years have brought new energy.

“[The first-years] have influenced our team culture for the better in so many ways this year, kind of in the same way that we upperclassmen have welcomed them into our preexisting team culture,” senior outfielder Sydney Schneider said. “I think that’s why we’re seeing so much success on the field this year, because it really feels like in my four years I’ve never seen such a close-knit, well-connected team.”

These connections have fueled the team’s offensive play, producing over seven runs per game with a .367 combined batting average that is key to getting runners on base. In addition to the young talent, sophomore catcher Harper Nix, junior outfielder Kristina Donaldson, and senior catcher Alexa Hanish are all batting around .400.

“One of the real strengths of our team is how well rounded we are,” Schneider said. “We have a starting nine, but anyone can come in at any given moment and perform well in the role that they’re given.”

Combined with the explosive offense is some stellar pitching. Junior pitcher Maria Brooks has a 1.33 ERA and 88 strikeouts, resulting in her perfect 12-0 record. The rest of the rotation has also looked strong so far with junior pitcher Hattie Bond and first-year pitcher Jessi Szafoni having 2.36 and 1.80 ERAs respectively. In total, they have shut down their opponents, holding them to just a .203 batting average.

This past weekend the Bears highlighted their skill, sweeping Brandeis University, another UAA opponent. Their game on April 17 started out as a defensive stalemate. Brooks struck out the side in both the first and second inning. The Judges got on the board first with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. Down to their final chance, WashU had to get its offense rolling. With runners on the corners, junior second baseman Elena Locascio laid down a successful safety squeeze, bringing in a run. An RBI double from junior third baseman Kennedy Grippo tied the game at 2-2. Sullo knocked in an RBI single while junior utility player Julia Nicholus hit another RBI double, putting WashU up. Brooks finished the complete game giving up only five hits and earning the Bears a 4-2 victory.

“The theme of the weekend, and just our season overall, has been our ability to really fight back and want it enough to just string things together and make things happen,” Schneider said.

On Saturday, April 18, during the first game of the doubleheader, WashU controlled the game from start to finish. Sullo started the offensive barrage with an RBI single before stealing home to plate the Bears’ second run of the game. Nix added in by hitting a two-run homer. The Bears extended their lead to 6-0 after scoring two more runs at the top of the fourth inning. At the top of the sixth, Grippo hit an RBI single and Donaldson recorded a two-run double putting WashU up 9-0, resulting in the game ending after just six innings. Szafoni thrived in her best outing of the season so far, a complete game shutout allowing just four hits.

“As we’re moving into the postseason, you can definitely see that there’s a lot of trust between the players,” Szafoni said. “I know I can trust my defense, and I’ve shown that they can trust me, so I think that’s been helping us a lot.”

In their last game of the series, the Bears once again got ahead. Sullo scored on an unearned run in the first, and an inning later, Hanish knocked in a two-run single. Brandeis responded with an RBI double in the second and two home runs in the third. Uncharacteristically, the Bears trailed 4-3, but not for long: Nicholus’s RBI double tied the game at 4-4. At the top of the sixth, senior shortstop Jamie Cendana homered and Nicholus scored off an error. Brooks came into the game in relief and managed to hold the WashU 6-4 advantage, picking up her 12th win this year and the Bears’ ninth consecutive win.

There’s still more work to be done before the playoffs, which start in the middle of May. The Bears have three more series scheduled, two of which are against UAA opponents. Their regular season ends with a key matchup against Emory University, who is currently tied with WashU for first place in the UAA with a 10-2 conference record. WashU has high ambitions, but the team is taking it one practice and game at a time, knowing success is on the horizon.

“I’ve really kind of rallied the team around this quote, which is, ‘When the goal is to experience, everything becomes a win,’” Schneider said.

WashU looks to improve their UAA record, hosting Carnegie Mellon University at home for a three-game series on April 24 and 25.

Harper Nix is a Sports Editor at Student Life. She did not have any involvement in the writing or editing of this story.