By Dustin Waleff, Sports Editor
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Plesh
For rising sophomore Nicole Plesh, finding a place where she could be an influential member of a competitive team, while also being able to focus on her academics, and being able to have an impact on the community, was an important part of her college search.
Plesh knew Susquehanna was the spot for her following her overnight visit to the campus.
Plesh said, “When I got to spend time with the team on my overnight, I immediately felt welcomed and knew that Susquehanna was a place that I would love to be at for my next four years. After my visit, my host even reached out to me, which showed me that she was thinking about me, and wanted me to come back. Each person on the team cared to talk to me like a friend and a part of the team, which stood out to me, because it seemed like connecting with me on a personal level, was just as, if not more important than recruiting me for my skills.”
Plesh, a member of the Hunterdon Central High School softball team in New Jersey, appeared in nine games as a junior, hitting .333, scoring one run, and driving in one as well. Her senior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plesh began her first year at Susquehanna as the starting centerfielder on the River Hawk softball team. In her first year as a member of the River Hawks, Plesh was a rock defensively, guarding the outfield grass, finishing the season perfect in fielding percentage, while making some spectacular diving catches.
Patrolling the outfield with two seniors has given Plesh the confidence to take risks, and do everything she can to make those diving catches.
Plesh continued, “The biggest thing for me was the seniors that I had around me in the outfield making me feel confident and always having my back. When I play the outfield, I try to stay relaxed and go for what feels natural because I believe that you have to take risks to make a big play.”
Not only does staying relaxed during the game give her confidence, but remaining focused and relaxed before the games, allows her to get dialed in before the opening pitch.
“I try to stay relaxed, giving myself enough time to get ready so I don’t feel rushed,” Plesh said.
However, softball is not the only thing that drew Plesh to Susquehanna. She also saw an ability to impact the community. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the team’s ability to work with the community, Plesh and the River Hawks made the most of the opportunity.
“With COVID we were limited with what could be done this year, however we did the best that we could,” Plesh said. “We were pen pals with children from a class (at the Selinsgrove Area Elementary School), wrote thank you letters to first responders for all of their work during the pandemic, donated school supplies to those in need and wrote Christmas and Channukah cards for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (a foundation that aims to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers).”
With her first year as a River Hawk now in the books, Plesh hopes to continue making a positive impact not only on the field for the Susquehanna softball squad, but also in the community, by having the opportunity to be a bright spot in someone’s day.