By Charlie Miller, Staff Writer
Gettysburg softball is coming off a great road trip to start their season, achieving a 7-2-1 record in Myrtle Beach, SC. Meghan Hughes ’24 also secured Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week, as she has posted a 0.81 ERA in 17 ⅓ innings this season.
The Bullets’ trio of pitchers make the names Hughes, Paige Forry ’25, and Audrey Wright ’25 sound more like Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. The team’s breakout star on the offense, Lauren O’Leary ’25, has a 1.617 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) through ten games.
The Bullets’ seven wins over spring break came as a result of both offense and pitching. They opened the season with an extra-inning 1-0 win over Albion and went 4-1-1 in their next six games. This included a 12-1 mercy rule win over Penn State Harrisburg in which Gianna Peralta ’25 slapped two triples. Later that day, the orange and blue shutout Waynesboro 4-0 to complete a sweep. In the seven games they have won so far, the team’s pitching staff has tallied a 1.62 team ERA.
Even with their superb pitching, it is hard to understate the importance of the offense. O’Leary noted, “Coach has us working hard on our small ball game so we can manufacture more runs.”
The shift toward the home run in baseball also happened in softball, with the four-bagger seen now more than ever before. This team is shaping up to be a throwback of sorts, pushing aside power numbers in favor of speed, pitching, and defense. The Bullets’ speed was on display in South Carolina, as Gettysburg hitters legged out eight triples to start the season, tied for the Centennial Conference lead with Haverford.
O’Leary emphasized how the program’s new “strength and conditioning program has helped improve my power and definitely made me stronger than I was last year.”
Coach Brooke Kalman, in her first season with the Bullets, has had a positive impact thus far. O’Leary’s approach is centered around solid contact, and it is certainly working so far.
The Bullets travel to Fredericksburg to take on Mary Washington on Saturday, Mar. 18 at noon.
