They did everything they could. They played a strong regular season. They won the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Then they got snubbed.
Due to the recent overturn of Sun Belt schools, the conference tournament champion was not awarded an automatic bid to regionals by the NCAA last season.
This season the softball team is seeking redemption.
Led by senior outfielder Lauren Crandall and senior second baseman Melissa Moore, the FAU softball team appears more motivated than ever for this upcoming season. Ending last year with a record of 42-23 overall and 16-8 in the Sun Belt Conference, the softball team had hoped to get into the NCAA tournament.
Both seniors are accustomed to success in this program and will try to turn last year’s unexpected finish into success this season. The team will try to replace the veteran leadership lost last season in Jen Musillo, who went 26-11 and was the Sun Belt Conference pitcher of the year. Also lost to graduation was Mandie Fishback, who had the fourth highest batting average in team history at .366. Moore is very optimistic about this year’s team despite the veteran leadership lost and last year’s NCAA snub.
“I think we’re going to go far and I know we have a very young team,” Moore said. “I just hope everyone steps up and plays to their ability, and hopefully we’ll take the conference again because we had a big letdown last season.”
Prior to coming to the Sun Belt Conference, FAU dominated the Atlantic Sun Conference, winning nine championships out its last 10 Atlantic Sun seasons. Last year the team won the tournament title in the Sun Belt, but wasn’t invited into the NCAA regionals.
“It really hit us hard because we didn’t really expect to not go,” Moore said. “I think it’s really going to help out this year because it gives us something more to work on and something to go for.”
Despite leading a young team, both Moore and Crandall will play bigger roles in leadership for the sophomore and freshman players this season. Crandall believes her veteran leadership will be a key ingredient, especially with the freshman players on the team.
“I don’t think the sophomores really have too much to worry about. I think it’s the freshmen,” Crandall said. “We just need to get them ready for what college ball is because you’re not ready until you play your first game.”
Both Moore and Crandall have no problem with their roles as leaders because of what they had to go through as players themselves.
“We have a lot to lose because this is our last year. We know where we’ve been and we’ve been through it all,” Moore said.
Crandall hopes with this experience that the younger players will follow her and Moore’s examples. “We have to play as hard as we can and also influence others to do the same. So we can go out on top, winning the conference and going to the regionals,” Crandall said.
The team’s recent success in the Atlantic Sun and Sun Belt conferences can also be a factor in teaching the younger players about the winning tradition of the program.
“You’re playing to get another banner and playing to represent your school. It plays a huge factor in your mentality because you don’t want to lose. I think seeing the [championship] banners makes everyone feel that way because you don’t want to be the class without a banner,” Crandall said.
“We’re winning the conference,” Moore said. “We came in with a crash, but we’re going out with a bang.”
