By Andrew Smith
Adelphi softball is always making headlines on campus. The Panthers finished with an outstanding 47-8 record en route to a second straight NE10 Championship last spring and another deep run in the NCAA Division II Championship that ultimately fell short. The disappointing finish left the Panthers hungry and motivated them even more for the upcoming season.
Senior Kendall Winn has been an essential part of the team's success and shared a powerful reflection as she approaches her final season. “Last year was another incredible experience playing with the girls I love, and I’m so grateful for our success and how much fun we had along the way,”she said. “Winning the NE10 for the second time and going so deep into the tournament made me so proud of my team and it reflects on how hard we work.”
Despite their amazing success, Winn explained how the defeat in the NCAA Tournament has fueled her and her teammates during the long offseason. “We came up just short of another World Series appearance and we are hungry for more this year. We’re losing six seniors after this season, so I know that my class and I will leave it all on the field this year to help bring our team to another World Series Appearance.”
Winn, who started every game for the Panthers last season at the hot corner, ended the season with an impressive .295 batting average and a .442 slugging percentage. In addition, she hit 10 doubles and three long balls and was third on the team with 26 runs batted in (RBIs). Winn was especially spectacular on April 28, in the second half of a doubleheader against Le Moyne College, as she brought in all three runs to lead the Panthers to a victory off a solo blast in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the sixth inning.
She explained what steps the team has taken during the offseason to prepare themselves. “We focused a lot on defense this fall. We have always had phenomenal pitching and scoring runs, but our coaches felt we could have had some cleaner defense this last year. So this fall, we really honed in on the basics and tried to improve on our defense in preparation for the spring.
Winn added, “Our coaches are really pushing us to be the strongest athletes possible, mentally and physically, so conditioning has been a big part of our training this fall.”
Entering her fourth and final season on the team, Winn reflected on her experience and expressed many positive remarks about being an Adelphi Panther. “The best part of being a part of this program the last three years has been the people. I have made lifetime friends from this program and am so grateful.”
Winn referenced the walk-off homerun courtesy of Ashely Lombardo, which sealed the NE10 Championship victory in 2022 against Saint Anselm College, their first since 2018.
“We were all so proud of her and happy that our hard work had finally paid off; it was extremely emotional. We fought hard for each other that season; that is exactly what it will take to have another successful season. I will never forget that day and how much love we had for each other.”
As a whole, Winn described her time at Adelphi as “unforgettable.”
“I am incredibly emotional about this being my senior year. I am certainly not ready to be done playing the sport, but I’m excited to see what kind of damage we can do this spring for one more season.”