As temperatures climb, the Hoya student body can finally welcome the arrival of Georgetown’s spring sports season. For the Georgetown Hoyas softball team (1-4), this weekend marked the first of what is sure to be many opportunities to showcase their talents. The Hoyas traveled to Miami for a slate of five games in the Florida International University Tournament.
Despite the sense of excitement associated with the new season, the Hoyas stumbled out of the gates, losing four straight games, falling to North Carolina State, FIU, and twice to Kansas. For Georgetown, the box scores revealed what needed to change: the Hoyas were outscored 23 to 7 in the first four contests, leaving 30 runners on base. Without increased offensive output, winning will continue to be a tough task.
For Georgetown Head Coach Pat Conlan, however, the Hoyas’ early record does not reflect where the team is at or where they have the potential to go.
“I think people look at 1-4 and think we didn’t have a successful weekend,” Conlan said. “We played some really tough teams that we maybe don’t usually schedule on our first weekend under. But I thought we played very well defensively, had good pitching outings, and we got people on base. We didn’t get that big hit with runners on base that we need in order to be successful … We had opportunities, and I think that’s all you can ask.”
The lone victory of the weekend came on the tournament’s final day, as the Hoyas were able to pull out a 2-0 win in a rematch with FIU. The Hoyas were anchored by a strong pitching performance from Megan Hyson, who tossed a complete game three-hitter. At the plate, Georgetown was carried by senior captain Shikara Lowe, whose 5 hits were the weekend’s offensive highlight. In addition, Lowe, the team’s starting catcher, can also be credited with facilitating multiple strong pitching performances.
“I think Shikara Lowe…has done a wonderful job handling the pitchers,” Conlan explained. “She always seems to come up with that clutch hit.”
Apart from Lowe, Conlan also sees a lot of promise in freshman shortstop Samantha Giovanniello, who, along with a roster brimming with depth, has a chance to make a big splash in the Big East Conference this year.
“Freshman Samantha Giovanniello … really had a nice weekend for us, so I’m excited to see what her career turns out. I would say, overall, we have a lot of depth, a lot of people playing in every game, pinch runners, pinch hitters, defensive changes.”
As for prospects for the rest of the season, both coaches and players alike are setting ambitious goals. After a disappointing 3-15 campaign in the Big East last season, this rejuvenated Georgetown squad has their sights set on earning respect.
“Finally making a name for ourselves in the Big East is probably our biggest goal,” Lowe said. “Making the other teams see us as a more serious threat is always another huge goal. But also just going into every tournament ready to play tough…”
Echoing her captain’s words, Conlan zeroed in on this year’s unprecedented chances for success.
“Our goal is to make the Big East tournament this year. I think with the team we have, we have our best chance in our program history to do that.”
