Freshman outfielder Zoe Galindo—one of six freshman on this year’s Harvard roster—is tied for second on the Crimson softball team with two home runs so far this season.

From point guard Siyani Chambers’s All-Ivy success for the men’s basketball team to Jerry Chang helping the men’s fencing team to its seventh Ivy League title, there is no doubt that the Class of 2016 has had a huge impact on Harvard sports so far this year.

The theme of freshmen success appears poised to continue, as the softball team enters Ivy League play this week with several rookies playing key roles for the squad.

Of the 19 players listed on the Harvard roster, six are freshmen. Pitchers Jamie Halula and Morgan Groom, outfielder Zoe Galindo, catcher Rachel Halperin, and utility players Haley Davis and Alyssa Siegmann make up the class.

After graduating key players from last season, such as pitcher Rachel Brown and infielder Jane Alexander, the squad entered its non-conference schedule with plenty of unknowns.

Though the team went 7-12 in non-conference play, Harvard can point to the efforts of some of its freshmen as bright spots going into Ivy competition.

Galindo, Halula, and Groom all received significant playing time throughout the first part of the season and have responded well to the pressures of college softball.

“I think Zoe, Morgan, and Jamie have all done a great job of not playing like freshmen,” junior captain Shelbi Olson says. “When you start playing Division I softball and you haven’t played at that level before, it is obviously hard confidence-wise. I think they have done a really good job of going out there and playing like they know they are good players.”

Galindo has become a starting outfielder for the Crimson, posting a .290 batting average so far this season to go along with a .944 fielding percentage.

“Zoe has done a really good job of just focusing on her role,” Olson says. “She has taken the mentality of being the best player she can be and just focusing on her hitting and her fielding. She has gotten a lot of playing time because she has worked so hard and proved herself.”

Groom and Halula have pitched both as starters and relievers this season. The two freshman lead the team in innings pitched with 50 and 42.2, respectively.

Halula has started five games for Harvard and has appeared in relief in nine more. She is currently 2-3 on the year with a 4.59 ERA. Groom, meanwhile, has started seven games and worked in relief in five others. She is 3-5 on the year with 2.24 ERA.

“Jamie and Morgan have been absolutely killing it,” Galindo says. “They came into this season knowing they were going to have to step up and have a big impact as freshmen, and they have done a great job working on getting better every day and being a big part of the team effort.”

With two freshmen and sophomore Gabrielle Ruiz as the main pitchers for the Crimson this season, players say coach Jenny Allard has emphasized the importance of a total-staff effort.

“The team has a mentality that all of the pitchers are important and that we are going to use them however we need to use them to get wins,” Olson says. “The entire pitching staff has really been focused on a team mentality and they all have gotten a lot of pitching time. It is really a mentality of always being ready to warm up and go in, and Morgan and Jamie have done a really good job adjusting to that and really making it work.”

The transition from high school to college can be difficult, juggling schoolwork, athletics, and time management. According to Olson, softball is no different, as freshmen must not only adjust to better competition on the field but also to a more difficult balance of academics and sport.