In the past two seasons, no Rock softball player has had more consistancy in the batter’s box than senior centerfielder Emily Nagle.
Out of the past two seasons, Nagle has played a total of 84 games, but only 11 of those games she went without a single hit, with her 2018 season producing six of those hitless games. To add, she has had plenty of game-hitting streaks, with her longest streak last season at 17 games, while also having an 11 game-hitting streak this year.
“Mentally I tell myself every time I go up to bat like I can do it,” Nagle said. “I guess cause I’ve been doing it since I was three so I don’t know, I’m not nervous anymore like I see the ball and I just know I can do it.”
Coming in as a freshman, Nagle wasn’t sure of her role, as she had to earn her position first. She made 20 starts in 29 games played her freshman year, with a batting average of .333, earning her a starting spot and the following season started all 43 games at centerfield.
After getting the start halfway through her freshman season, Nagle has then gone on to start in 144 consecutive games for The Rock all the way to the end of her senior year this season. Her career batting average came to .363 with 180 total hits, 45 RBIs and two home runs.
“I mean just taking on more responsibility, I guess,” Nagle said. “Like coming in as a freshman like I had to work for my position and then once I had it I didn’t want to let it go so I think that knowing that I could lose it at any moment if I didn’t do well or if I didn’t step up and I just think that helped me out a little bit knowing I needed to perform and do well to keep my position.”
Through her four years on the team, Nagle has created some memories with her teammates and coaches such as going to the playoffs her sophomore year and hitting homeruns. Though one story sticks out to Nagle the most when her former teammate Caitlyn Baxter hit a home run during practice off the scoreboard in centerfield which also struck a bee hive causing the bees to come out and sting her other former teammate Nicole Sicilano, which gave everyone a good laugh, Nagle said.
“It’s just something I won’t forget,” Nagle said. “It was really funny, it’s something I just never thought would happen.”
Nagle, an environmental science major, will be graduating this May, but says she isn’t sure what her next move is quite yet. Her career goal would be to work for the state department and work in environmental protection. One problem that strikes her is water quality because her dad works at a water facility and she simply wants everyone to have good drinking water, Nagle said.
“I don’t really have any plans right now,” Nagle said. “I’m currently looking for a job, but I don’t have anything lined up right now, kind of just in limbo. I’m going to maybe enter a draft to play softball during the summer, but then going from there I’m probably going to look for a job. Just kind of going with the flow.”
Nagle said the game of softball is what she is going to miss the most. It has brought her so many memories and friendships during her time at The Rock.
“I’m not going to cry at graduation, I already know I’m not,” Nagle said. “Like I already cried at my last game, so I’m not going to cry at graduation, it’s just like I’m done.”
Head coach Stacey Rice explained how she thinks over the years the game has slowed down for Nagle, which has allowed her to do the great things she has done. Rice also mentioned how Nagle knew she would need to show her abilities in order to get some playing time, which she continued to prove time and time again.
“She understood as soon as she got here that nothing’s given, everything is earned,” Rice said. “She had to win a position as a freshman, she beat out an upperclassman and then understood that same thing could happen to her.”
