Chemistry has become a common, if not overused, catchphrase in sports. It’s an easy term to try to explain success. But for the six freshmen on the Harvard softball team, chemistry has become something much greater–a guiding principle that permeates both sports and social life.

Both on and off the diamond, this talented crop of first-year players sticks together, and has formed an extremely tight-knit group. If Harvard hopes to return to the top of the Ivy League this season, then it will rely heavily on the successful foundation the freshmen have begun to build—not only for on-field results, but to establish the cohesive atmosphere that breeds winning.

“We’re all really close,” second-basemen/outfielder Julia Kidder says, voicing the overriding sentiment of the group of players. “We’re always together.”

“Or causing trouble,” third-basemen Virginia Fritsche is quick to add.

The entire sextet—which also includes shortstop/outfielder Lauren Brown, outfielder Susie Winkeller, pitcher Becky Voaklander, and catcher Sarah Shaughnessy—have become fast friends, enjoying TV nights, eating together, and hanging out on the weekends. The group’s bond is even strong enough to ensure extension beyond the realm of softball—four of the freshmen are blocking together for next year’s housing lottery.

“I feel like we have a lot of chemistry, we’re very tight,” Voaklander says. “Not that the other classes aren’t, but there are more of us, and we’re always hanging out.”

The enthusiasm and friendship of the freshmen has been infectious, and has helped integrate the group—with its six members, the largest in any class on this year’s team—into the circle of upperclassmen players.

That integration is not always an easy task in the stratified world of college sports, but the arduous preseason preparation—including fall ball, where the freshmen first started bonding—have melded the team into a highly compatible social and athletic unit.

“I think the fact that we get along so well attracts [the upperclassmen] to us...they want to be part of how much fun we’re having together,” Voaklander says.

Besides their unusual camaraderie, what has drawn the attention of the team’s head coach, Jenny Allard, has been the light-hearted nature of the freshmen.

“What struck me with them is that they’re just funny,” Allard says. “They really enjoy each other, and really have a good time.”

Introducing the element of humor to this year’s edition of the Crimson has helped to erase the bad taste of last year’s disappointing fourth place finish in the Ivy League, and lighten the serious demeanor of the team’s veterans.

“[The freshmen] don’t take themselves too seriously,” Allard says. “That’s helped the team bounce back from a tough season last year. In athletics, people can take themselves too seriously, and you need to be able to let go of that. If you’re too tense, and you’re too serious, and you’re too tight, that’s going to affect your performance.”

If it’s one thing this year’s group of freshmen is not, it’s tense. Coming in after a bad season, and as a highly-regarded batch of young talent, the freshman might have felt burdened by high performance demands. But their ebullient nature and breadth of experience has prevented the stress from affecting them.

“There’s no pressure,” Shaughnessy says. “If we were a smaller group of freshmen, there would have been more emphasis on contributing right away. But with this many new members, it’s inevitable that the chemistry of the team will change.”