This spring, the Lewis & Clark softball team has had one of the best starts to a season in school history, winning 20 out of the 22 games they have played so far. Players and coaches attribute the team’s success to the close bonds and team spirit that uplift everyone. While the team is energized by their current accomplishments, they remain focused on the future, hoping to be top competitors in the Northwest Conference, which will be hosted at LC this spring for the first time since 2016.
Since starting their season back in February, the softball team has had an incredible win record. Especially impressive is their record in conference, of which they have won all 12 of those played so far. Out of the 20 games they have won so far, they have won eight based on the “run rule.” NCAA has a “rule-ahead” rule — often called the mercy rule — that ends a game if one team is ahead by eight or more runs after five innings. The fact that LC has been able to win by this rule so many times this season demonstrates how dominant their performance has been so far. The team has also swept multiple schools, meaning they won all of the games against a team in a series, further highlighting their strength in the conference.
Even when they are not winning, the team puts on an excellent performance. Over spring break, the team went to Florida to play several schools on the East Coast to see how they fared against teams from another conference. During these games, they lost their first two games, but won the other four, and left feeling triumphant, according to pitcher Maggie O’Leary ’26.
“We recently got to play a team in Florida that’s ranked No. 6 in the nation and we put up a really good fight against them, which is really exciting, especially so early in the season,” O’Leary said. “I mean there’s nowhere to go but up from here, and to already be at such a high point is really exciting.”
The team is also being recognized by athletics associations not only regionally, but nationally as well. In mid-March, the team received votes for the first time in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches Poll as a top DIII team. On an individual level, Makena Dahir ’27 was named the Northwest Conference Softball Position Player of the Week, and O’Leary recently set the program record for most career wins at 33.
While this accomplishment was exciting for O’Leary, she credited her teammates, saying that it is “a team thing more than anything else.”
This attitude that the whole team must come together to be successful is central. Head Coach Shawna Cyrus explained that she finds that the team works best when players genuinely care for each other and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.
“I think when a team is happy and a team is having fun together, they want to play for each other and they want to be with each other because that equals fun. That is happening on our field right now, and I see them having fun,” Cyrus said.
O’Leary also credits the team’s success to the team bonds and attitude. She explained that she feels like she has room to make errors and grow as a pitcher because of her teammates’ skills, but she also has great confidence from their relationships.
“I respect everyone on the team, players and coaches alike, so much as people, as athletes which makes it really fun to win together and it makes losing a little less (difficult),” O’Leary said. “We lose as a team and it’s a little bit less painful to know that we’re all in it together, fully in it together.”
The team hopes to use their connection and early successes to propel themselves to the top of the league this season. Last season, they made it to the conference tournament, which O’Leary cited as a very exciting moment that the team wants to repeat. They must win 16 conference games in total, and have 16 more chances to win the four additional games needed to get to that point. The team is also eager to defeat Linfield, one of the top softball teams in the country, who they have faced off against many times throughout program history without winning. Both Cyrus and O’Leary expressed a hunger to win and get to the top, which they think is possible with this year’s strong team.
Only time will tell how softball fares in the rest of their season, but if the beginning of the season is any indicator, they should be able to work together and meet their goals. Cyrus and O’Leary encourage all students to go support the team’s success and hard work by attending softball games. Students can find their schedule at lcpioneers.com.
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