At the outset of the 2025 season, the misfortunes of the past few seasons for the Georgetown University softball team (9-23, 0-15 Big East) seemed to be turning around, signaling the beginning of a new era under the leadership of new Head Coach Karla Ross. Unfortunately, the upswing was short-lived, and the Hoyas have once again returned to their old ways this season.
After their March 1 win against Drexel University (2-31, 2-13 ACC), the Hoyas launched into a 20-game losing streak. This past weekend, April 4-6, the team dropped three consecutive games to the Creighton University Bluejays (15-20, 5-7 Big East), losing by a combined series score of 27-2. On April 9, however, the Hoyas broke their losing streak by beating the George Mason University (GMU) Patriots (15-25, 7-7 A-10) in a 5-3 victory. Despite this win, which brought the Hoyas up to 9-23 overall, the team remains 0-15 in conference play.
Given Georgetown’s recent record, the win came as a surprise to many. However, it was bound to happen at some point. Despite the scores in their games against Creighton over the past weekend, Georgetown did not seem demoralized — possibly due to the fact that such a large deficit is not unusual for them. Of the Hoyas’ 23 losses this season, 15 of them have been by 5 or more runs. However, the Georgetown softball team’s passion for the sport is apparent, and the team plays hard every game despite their struggles for success.
Ross commented on the team’s attitude following the series loss to Creighton and said they worked to put up their best effort.
“The biggest thing we preach to the ladies regardless of a win or loss is to give it your all,” Ross told Georgetown Athletics. “Things have not been going our way lately, but each day we need to go out and compete.”
Despite the high allowed runs, the team does put up a solid defense. In their first game against Creighton on April 4, junior outfielder Claire Turner collided with the fence in center field as she attempted to catch a ball heading over the fence. The resulting injury forced her to sit out the rest of the series and the game against GMU.
Offense is where Georgetown truly lacks strength — the most obvious reason for their losses is their inability to score runs. Throughout the series against Creighton, the Hoyas left 19 runners on base and only scored 2 runs, both in the fifth inning of the second game. They had a single run batted in and a home run hit by sophomore catcher Hollie Pardini. First-year outfielder Dani Koo scored the other run on a wild pitch. Nonetheless, they failed to capitalize on this momentum and did not score again across the weekend. Another bright spot for the Hoyas came in the last inning of the third game when first-year pinch hitter Maggie Howard got her first collegiate hit.
In their game against GMU on April 9, the Hoyas were able to turn around their weekend’s performance and score 5 runs. In an explosive start to the game, sophomore third baseman Emily Strittmatter hit a 3-run home run in the first inning, followed by an RBI single from Koo to drive home junior infielder Dayanara Campos. Strittmatter homered again in the second inning to bring the Hoyas’ score up to 5, while GMU worked to gain 3 throughout. Senior pitcher Kayla Dunn, who in the Hoyas’ third game against Creighton recorded her 350th career strikeout, pitched a complete game, giving up only 3 runs.
This most recent win against GMU may act as a turning point for the Hoyas, but one should not be too optimistic considering the long string of losses preceding the win. The Hoyas have a young team, though, providing hope for the future as the starting infield is comprised of sophomores with the exception of graduate shortstop Sammy Fenton. Additionally, two of Georgetown’s three starting outfielders are first-years. Put this together with the fact that a new coaching staff was hired just before the beginning of the season, and it paints a hopeful picture for Georgetown softball fans. The Hoyas have had a rocky start to conference play, but there is certainly room for growth.
The Hoyas next play Tuesday, April 15, at 6 p.m. against Towson University (18-20, 7-8 CAA) at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, where they will hope to build on the momentum of their recent win.
