OC Softball a Reality

Oberlin spring sports fans will now have the luxury of an additional varsity program to enjoy, as the College has finally added women's softball as the latest varsity sport. The Yeowomen have a brand-new softball field awaiting them, located adjacent to the baseball field and a service building on North Fields.

Head Soccer Coach Jane Wildman will lead the squad in their inaugural year. Wildman has had experience as a player in high school and in college, and she was an assistant at Muskingum University. Joanna Wells will join Wildman as an assistant coach.

Like many new teams, women's softball figures to have a rough go of it at first. "It's going to be tough the first few years," said Wildman. Oberlin will not be the only new squad in the NCAC, though. The College of Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan University have also just added Women's Softball to their varsity roster. With the addition of these two schools and Oberlin, all but Earlham and Wabash (an all-men's school) now have varsity women's softball in the NCAC.

The roster is still changing at the moment, but Wildman estimates a total of about 15 or 16 players. With some players yet to make up their minds about playing and other players still practicing on other teams, practices have been small. Wildman is confident, however, that the final roster will be completed a week before spring break.

The schedule is light - the Yeowomen play only four non-conference games during the season. They kick off their season and conference play at home against Kenyon College at one o' clock p.m. on Saturday, April 8. All games are seven-inning double-headers and afternoon contests. The short season ends on Saturday Apr. 29 at Ohio Wesleyan at one o' clock p.m.

Any hopes of a varsity season would have been just hopes, had it not been for seniors Jami Silver and Sarah Krier. According to Krier, Silver volunteered to help coach the Oberlin High School softball team her freshman year. The next year, then-sophomore Krier decided to join her at the high school. "Being around the game - especially in the capacity of coach when we knew we were still eligible to play at a college level - led us to lobby for a team at OC," said Krier.

In the Spring of 1998, the duo approached Don Hunsinger, the athletic director at the time, with the idea of women's softball as a regular varsity sport. Hunsinger encouraged Silver and Krier to garner interest with prospective players to show that interest did in fact exist at Oberlin.

That's exactly what they did. The Athletic Department was in the process of hiring Michael Muska as the new athletic director, however, so the duo had to wait until the fall of 1998. "He was psyched to see our interest, and he surprised us with all the work he had already put into the project," said Krier. "He asked us to present our proposal to the Athletic committee that Fall, prepared with more signatures of interested students. Jami (Silver) couldn't come back again, so I organized it. There were about 6 students, Chris Baymiller (assistant director of Wilder student union) and myself," said Krier.

The group then spoke to the committee about why they wanted to play softball as a varsity sport, and, most importantly, how they understood how much dedication a varsity sport requires. "We were ready to make that commitment," said Krier. "We knew how some people had not had the varsity experience because softball was not an option. Chris Baymiller, who is our boss and friend at Wilder, attested to our dedication and passion for the sport, and served as a great support in this whole situation," said Krier. The Athletic Committee passed the proposal for a varsity women's softball team, and in the spring of '99, the General Faculty passed the proposal as well.

Prior experience will not be a problem, just depth (a common problem with most OC teams). Silver, Krier, sophomore Dawn Sweeney, sophomore Becky Kanuch and sophomore Raegan Johnson have all had extensive softball backgrounds at the high school level. Senior Katy Durham-Hammer played varsity baseball at the high school level. "Hopefully, the 9 years of baseball experience I will help me make a smooth transition to softball. I'm looking forward to the season," said Durham-Hammer.

A new team needs leadership, something that Silver and Krier bring to the table. "I'm looking for leadership to emerge. Jami Silver was an integral part of establishing the team; I think she'll be a leader," said Wildman. "We just have to go out and be organized. Any [progress] will come through our efforts. As a first-year program, we want to be competitive."

With this kind of attitude, it seems like competing on the field is not an unattainable task. "It is very exciting to be part of a new team. We will definitely need all the support we can get!" said Silver.

"I am very excited about this upcoming season. The team looks likeit has some really experienced players coming in," said Sweeney. "Jane Wildman is awesome as a coach. I am ready to show other schools that you can't judge Oberlin athletics by its football record. It feels great to be part of a new varsity team. It is always fun to be a member of something just starting."