Lindsey Hari '20 Recruiting Profile

    My childhood consisted of being outside on a nice summer day with a softball in one hand and a glove in the other.  Growing up with an older sister who played softball taught me many qualities and skills I still use today.  Of course she gave me the basic softball skills one needs to play and the endless hours of drills used to improve myself, but she also gave me something else.  Competitiveness.  One early memory of softball that I have is us playing in the yard while she was in eighth grade and I was in third.  She was pushing me to do a drill that I thought was too difficult for someone as small as me.  I remember saying "Well why should I do that if you are doing it in eighth grade and I'm only in third?"  Her response that I still remember to this day was, "Because you want to play as good as an eighth grader."  I am still striving to play as good as someone older or better than me.  A lot of times competitiveness is associated with cheating and emotions.  But it also should be noticed with how much it pushes a player.  Yes, it showed through emotions when I was younger but now I have matured enough to know how to funnel my competitiveness into being the best player I can be.  Stepping in between the lines and putting all the skills you have worked at to the test really is the best feeling one can get.  That's why playing collegiate softball is so important to me.  I don't want to put all of that in my past, I want it to be my future too.  

    I would be a asset to many teams through my size, versatility, and power.  I am built like an athlete, with long legs and a strong core which enables me to move quickly and fluently throughout the field.  My height also positively influences my range at shortstop.  While a smaller person might have to dive for a ground ball, I am able to reach it without getting down on the ground.  This also shows that I can be versatile in the field.  I have a strong arm which allows me to throw from any part of the field with a high velocity.  I am smart while playing, I am able to think ahead towards future plays and situations.  This allows me to be a leader on the team, calling out defenses and plays and talking throughout every pitch.  I support my teammates in all situations and accept my coach's wisdom and effort that is put into the program.  Lastly my power would be an improvement to the team.  I have been a power hitter on almost all of my teams, leading in home runs, triples, doubles, and RBI's.  I have a quick bat and a powerful swing.  All of these qualities would make me a good attribution to the team.

     I am looking at a program that will be supportive of my schooling while still allowing me to play softball.  I want to be able to attend as many classes as I can but I understand that attending all would be impossible.  Also when looking at different colleges, I am searching for programs that are consistent with their coaches and players.  If I see that a college has replaced their softball coaches in more recent years over and over I may think that the program will be underdeveloped.  If I see that there are more new players than returning players for a team that might throw up a red flag about the program.  Overall, I am interested in an all-around consistent program that allows me to complete my schooling as well as participating in the sport I love.