Freshman Taking Ivy League By Storm

Alex Rodriguez needs to step up his game.

He may be the current Major League Baseball home run leader, but he is lagging behind the Crimson’s own freshman softball star Lauren Murphy in balls knocked out of the park.

The score entering yesterday: Murphy, 13 homers, A-Rod, 12.

Murphy’s baker’s dozen would be good enough to lead the MLB, and it is certainly sufficient to be the best in the Ivy League, as she has accumulated three more home runs than the next in line, Penn’s Annie Kinsey, a two-time First-team All-Ivy second baseman. In her first year for Harvard, Murphy has made a huge impression, and currently leads the team in home runs and RBI (she has 33).

One of two freshmen to have started every matchup this year for the Crimson, Murphy entered the fall preseason without having played a game for an entire year.

Surgery kept her from softball for her whole senior season at the Westridge School in Pasadena, California, where she was a First-team All-Prep League selection for the previous three years in a row.

But that year off did not prevent her from making an immediate impression on the Harvard squad.

In fact, there was one aspect of her game that almost certainly improved because of the respite from catching—her hitting.

“Over the summer I hit a lot,” Murphy said. “I hit almost every day—just to really get my game back.”

And get her game back she has certainly done. Her off-season workouts have produced immense results in the batting department.

“[Assistant coach] Jen Goodwin has worked with me a lot on my footing, as well as coach [Jenny] Allard,” Murphy said. “They’ve really just made it more consistent, more fluid.”

Fluid enough to have a .732 slugging percentage to go along with a solid .323 batting average, showing that the extra time off paired with superb coaching led to a skyrocketing improvement on offense.

“We always knew that she was good—that she would pull through for us in opportune moments,” captain second baseman Julia Kidder said. “Obviously we didn’t expect what she’s done this season thus far.”

And while most people will only see her hitting statistics—which are more than enough to impress—they cannot understand most of the impact she has on the softball field.

“She has great energy on the team,” Kidder said. “What sticks out the most obviously are statistics, but she is a complete team player in every category.”

Murphy has established herself as an impressive breakout player, but she is supported by an extremely talented freshman class. That close-knit peer environment certainly has an effect on how rapidly a team can improve, and Murphy agrees.

“I feel like we all work together as a very cohesive unit and that we all help each other out all the time,” said Murphy, “I think it’s great to have that support system coming from everybody on the team.”

That support system has helped the Crimson softball team improve as a whole this year. After finishing 6-8 in Ivy League play last season, Harvard is currently 11-5 and leading the North Division.

Murphy is optimistic about the Crimson’s postseason hopes, too.

“I think we definitely have a great shot at winning the Ivy Championships,” Murphy said. “I think we’re definitely going to win our division.”

That optimism is definitely a huge part of Murphy’s impact on the team, the kind of impact that some of her teammates consider to be most important.

“She has a team-first attitude in every situation,” said Kidder. “She looks for the win and she looks to do whatever she can to get the win.”

Is optimism the secret behind all those home runs, though? According to Murphy, the secret is even simpler than that.

“Just see it, hit it,” she said. “That’s what I go up to bat thinking every time. Just see it an make ball contact, then see where it goes.”

Well, maybe A-Rod could take the advice.