By Kelley McLellan ’17
Associate Sports Editor
Alexis Perry (Senior, Softball)
Where are you from?
Westford, Vermont
What’s your major?
Sports Medicine
How long have you been playing softball for?
I’ve been playing softball since I was in 3th grade so for around 13 years now.
What’s your outlook on the season for this year?
We have a very young team this year, however we have a lot of talent. The way that we have already come together so early in our season shows that although we are a young team, we will not play like a young team. We have a very promising season ahead of us and I’m excited to see what this team is fully capable of achieving.
What do you want to accomplish by the end of the season?
As one of two seniors on the team, I know I can speak for both of us when I say that we want to go as far as we can. We have only made playoffs once since we’ve been here, and this year the chances of not only making playoffs but also advancing far seem very real. We have put in so much hard work throughout the fall and winter, so it’s very exciting to see how it’s already paying off and to know that it’s just going to keep getting better.
What is the key to achieving that goal?
We have a team saying, “Win one more game.” That is going to be something that we live by this year. In the past we have gotten too ahead of ourselves and have missed making playoffs by just one game. We need to focus on the tasks at hand, the game that we are playing at that moment, and we will do well.
Matthew Brown (Senior, Baseball)
Where are you from?
Belmont, Massachusetts
What’s your major?
Business with a Marketing Concentration
How long have you been playing baseball for?
I have been playing baseball since I was around 6 years old. I started in tee-ball and can remember being in leagues when I was younger that were Coach Pitch. So I have been playing baseball since before I could even pitch a ball.
What’s your outlook on the season for this year?
This year I believe we are the strongest we have been in my four years at Merrimack. My freshman year here we tied the school record for wins and also went to the Northeast-10 conference championship, but I think this team and the schedule we have this year being all regional opponents will give us the ability to accomplish all the goals our team has set for this season. We have a big veteran lineup as well as a strong starting pitching rotation, which I believe will carry us, as the season gets tougher. In my opinion, our hitters, starting pitching rotation, and bullpen is as strong if not the strongest it has been in my four years at Merrimack College.
What do you want to accomplish by the end of the season?
The main goal my team and I have set for this season is to make it to the NCAA Regional. In the past three years we have been on the cusp of being selected the NCAA regional but have fallen short. I believe that our schedule, talent, coaches, and work ethic this year will finally get us to that NCAA regional. We have moved past the goal of just making the Northeast-10 playoffs, we are and will be a NCAA Regional team this year.
What is the key to achieving that goal?
The keys to achieving this goal will be the consistency of how we play each and every day and staying healthy. We are fortunate enough this year to be very healthy going into this season, as well as getting Mike Forgione back from an injury last year which will help our lineup and defense significantly. Last year we unfortunately lost Tim Cashman to an injury after his first start of the 2015 season, which affected our pitching rotation a great deal. Therefore another key to our success will be the health of our starting pitchers like Perry Kulaga, P.J. Browne, Zach Shindler, etc. Secondly, in the past we have played above our expectations some days and then played below our abilities the next day, this inconsistency caused us to lose games to opponents we were better than. To eliminate this, all of us have to be consistent in the effort and focus we bring everyday whether it is a practice or a game. If we consistently play to our ability we will achieve our goal of making it to the NCAA regional in the end.
