By Andrea Ordonez, News Editor
In the cold mist of a dreary May day, senior Courtney Crews squats with her glove ready in front of her. As senior Erin Wade throws pitch after pitch at her, Crews catches each, bringing the sound of a quick snap.
"Good job, Erin," she yells as she throws the softball back. Next to Crews, another girl squats down to with her glove at the ready. From behind, she and Crews look a pair of synchronized catchers, with high blond ponytails and black softball helmets. Ironically, her name is Erin as well.
Freshman Erin Trippi emerged on the Hofstra softball team this season as a designated hitter, while Crews remains the starting catcher.
Trippi's days on the softball field began when she was 13, when she would hop from ice hockey practice to softball weekly. A varsity catcher at Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, Trippi garnered three first-team all-county honors.
But going hitless during her first nine trips to bat at Hofstra, Trippi felt her confidence fading. Her struggles were more than just not getting any hits.
Trippi spent most of her first semester searching for the perfect balance between school and softball, and adjusting to the mental side of this Division I sports.
"The mental part of the game that I'm learning now, I never knew was even part of the game," said Trippi. "High school was like, show up and just either hit the ball or catch, it wasn't really thinking. And now it's really about the mental part of the game to be successful at this level."
But now, the signs of Trippi's previous hardships are long gone as she squats and zones in on fellow freshman Dominique Ficara's pitches in the bullpen. She credits her sudden success to the persevering words of her coach, Bill Edwards.
"I talk to him as much as I can," Trippi said. "My first few games, I didn't have a lot of confidence coming in because I was struggling, and he just kept pushing to me that I can do this and I'm in the right place."
Since her double against the UCLA Bruins on March 4, which ended her hitless streak, Edwards was right in that Trippi looks like she's in the right place.
"It's seldom that I ever put a freshman in the fourth spot, but she's been doing such a great job and she's responded beautifully," Edwards told GoHofstra.com.
As of May 2, Trippi is batting .280 with four home runs and 28 RBI's and has provided some clutch at bats including the game-winning single against the University of Maine in what proved to be her first career RBI.
While it's too early to call her Crews' successor, Trippi admires her for her guidance. "From the beginning she kind of became a mentor to me, both as a catcher and as a student," said Trippi. "She kind of put me under her wing and brought me through everything."
Choosing Hofstra for its esteemed business program, Trippi has learned more than just how to bat and catch in a Division I program.
"I feel like after getting through this program, I'm going to be able to tackle any obstacle in life," said Trippi. "Life is going to be so much easier after getting through Hofstra."
But for now, Trippi takes her transition from high school to college one catch at a time.
"I kind of know the way things are going now, so everything's becoming easier," she said. "I'm finally coming into my own."
Trippi has provided a youthful spark to a team filled with veterans. (Cody Heintz/The Chronicle)