Trio of freshmen leading the way for Softball

Although this may be their first season on the Quakers' roster, the freshmen on the Penn softball team certainly aren't playing like rookies.

The freshmen are leading Penn in a boatload of statistical categories, including batting average, hits, slugging percentage, ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched and wins.

So the freshman trio of Christina Khosravi, Annie Kinsey and Ann Ferracane are a big reason why the Quakers are more than halfway to last season's win total (10) with just less than two-thirds of the season remaining.

Khosravi, the starting shortstop, holds the team's top batting average at .415. But Khosravi, who has been playing softball since first grade, remains unaffected by the statistics.

"I really try not to think about numbers because if I do that, it becomes a mental game for me," she said.

But Khosravi admits that she is glad to be able to contribute to her team in such an important way.

"It's comforting for me to know that my coach puts me in and is confident that I will get a hit," she said.

The key to Khosravi's success seems relatively simple.

"I stay calm and relax and I don't think about numbers."

In addition to her mantra, Khosravi spends a lot of time practicing with fellow freshman Kinsey -- a second baseman from West Hills, Calif., who is a standout in her own right. Kinsey is batting .412, just under Khosravi's average, with nine RBIs and a .529 slugging percentage.

Khosravi "and I would go to the batting cage and just practice," she said. "We're pretty self-motivated."

Kinsey, who has started in all 16 games this season, has not struck out in 51 at bats -- and it all started with tee-ball.

"I guess I was around six or seven when I began to play tee-ball with my little sister in a rec league," she said.

Kinsey's first love was soccer, but an injury forced her to drop the sport and focus on softball.

"Before, I liked soccer more because I was better at it," she said. "But I stopped at twelve because of my knees."

Ferracane, who far and away has been the Red and Blue's best pitcher to date, is garnering a lot of attention with her arm. She too began playing softball at a very young age.

"I probably have been playing since I was seven," she said. "That's 11, 12 years almost now."

Ferracane has pitched Penn's only complete game of the season -- a 4-1 win against Saint Joseph's. In addition, she has the lowest ERA of any pitcher on the team, with a 3.07 mark, and has earned four of the team's six victories.

Ferracane only became serious about pitching around the age of 13 or 14, but her natural talent shows on the field.

"I liked pitching, it was something more active," she said. "I think I just wanted to try it."

The freshmen, despite all of their success, make sure to give credit where it is due.

Khosravi, Kinsey and Ferracane all agree that their fathers were essential to developing their talent and passion for the sport.

"My dad really helped me with my game," Kinsey said.

The three players also agree that the upperclassman on the team have made a huge impact on the freshman class, by acclimating the rookies to the world of college softball.

"They've really shown us the ropes," Ferracane said. "They've been vital, helping us to adapt and telling us what to expect and what not to expect."

And if the early results from this season hold up, the Quakers should be able to expect a lot out of this young trio for the next three years.

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