Ranking number one on and off the field, Sabin received Most Valuable Player recognition in the east side of Washington—along with numerous pitching distinctions within her county—and was valedictorian of her high school class.

Her favorite memories from high school include the time she spent traveling with her ASA team.

“On our way to games we would put on Centerfield by John Foggarty and had a whole dance to it,” said Sabin. “We would be dancing in the vans, singing into our hairbrushes at the top of our lungs, then get out and play.”

Sabin’s talent and love of the game are still growing.

Sabin throws “very, very hard,” said Allard, and “she’s continuing to work on pitch movement and pitch rotation.”

While both Tanner and Sabin are adjusting to facing more experienced hitters and a three-foot increase in distance from the mound to the plate in the college game, they’ve been able to come in and give Harvard good innings thus far.

Catching On

The freshman class not only brings an arsenal of talent to the pitching mound, but behind the plate as well. Allard has looked toward three freshmen to fill in the gap left by last season’s loss of two Crimson catchers.

Cecily Gordon, a California native, was a four-time selection to the All-Private School Athletic League.

A high school first baseman, Gordon has recently been working at the catcher position, although her progress has momentarily been delayed due to a rotator cuff injury.

Lauren Bettinelli—a middle infielder being trained at the catcher position—was twice named to the NFCA All-American First Team. Along with being the ultimate utility player, Bettinelli also pitched her high school team’s way to three New York State Championships.

“We’re able to give her good innings and she’s able to call a good game having had pitching experience herself,” Allard said.

Having already extinguished a runner’s steal attempt in a game earlier this season, Bettinelli seems to have no problem adjusting to her new, masked world.

But the freshman who used her glove to target the main starting catcher position is Southern Californian Laura Miller—a two-time First-Team All-CIF and four-time First-Team All-Prep League selection.

While Miller may not have as much pitching experience as Bettinelli, she began her softball career on top of the mound. It wasn’t the desire to see the field from a new perspective that got her behind the plate, but a hard-hit ball straight to the mouth.