There are some strange happenings going on down on Ashford Street – more than just the usual sketchy, overcrowded parties. Lately, it seems that the strangest occurrences center around the creatively named BU Softball Field and the Terrier softball team. It seems that the softball field – more specifically the pitching circle – has become BU’s very own Bermuda Triangle, as BU players have been disappearing without explanation.
Ever since BU proudly remodeled the softball field, pitchers have been dropping like flies. Coincidence? Maybe the pitching circle at the BU Softball Field is cursed. We already know that Nickerson Field is cursed, so why can’t the softball field be cursed as well?
Sure, it seems unlikely. I mean, pitchers haven’t exactly struggled at home since the field opened up. The Terriers lost four games at home last season, three more than they had lost at home the previous two seasons combined. While the pitchers might have some trouble making it to the circle, there’s no mistake about it – when they do pitch, they get the job done.
But the mystery surrounding the pitching circle is undeniable. If you follow BU softball, you’ve heard of Julie Henneke. As a sophomore last season, Henneke led the Terriers in games played and started, slugging percentage, average, RBI, doubles and total bases. From the circle, she led BU in appearances, wins, ERA, innings pitched, opponents’ batting average and strikeouts. She was rewarded by being selected to the NFCA All-Northeast First Team and the America East All-Conference First Team, as well as being named among the conference’s Most Outstanding Players.
But for some reason, Henneke has decided not to play this season. No one seems to know why, and no one is talking about it. She hasn’t redshirted because of an injury or for some other reason. She hasn’t been declared academically ineligible. The Terrier junior simply decided not to return to Boston University this semester. While some have argued that Henneke’s departure may be the result of a conflict with Coach Amy Hayes, who is known to demand a lot from her players, it seems more likely that Henneke simply decided that BU was no longer the place for her.
To realize just how strange the situation is, imagine if something like this happened in another sport. Imagine if next season, Dennis Wolff’s team shows up for its first game without Rashad Bell, who’s sitting at home in Queens for no apparent reason. Or imagine if Ryan Whitney decides he doesn’t want to come back to BU next season. He doesn’t skip his senior year to sign with the Penguins (who knows if there will be an NHL anyway), but to stay home in Scituate and play Pac-Man with Steve Greeley. And even more, imagine if no one would say anything about it. Think BU fans would be a little curious?
Making the situation more interesting, however, is that this isn’t the first time BU’s best pitcher has gone AWOL. Two years ago, Robyn Horrick was the team’s best pitcher, posting a miniscule 0.93 ERA and leading the team in wins. She made a single appearance for the Terriers last season, a complete-game loss, and wasn’t heard from again on the softball diamond. It’s believed that Horrick suffered an injury, but no one would talk about the situation last season.
Since the remodeling of the BU Softball Field, Horrick and Henneke aren’t the only BU pitchers who have had difficulties. During her freshman campaign, DeKenya Williams was a promising Terrier pitcher. Last season she injured her shoulder and didn’t pitch in a single game. Erin McDonald, a 12-game winner from last season, injured her knee during the preseason and will be unable to pitch this season. As a testament to her toughness, McDonald still plays despite her injury.
One of the saddest aspects of the tribulations of the softball team – especially the recent loss of Henneke – is that fact that very few people seemed to even notice that the team was missing its star player. While this can mostly be attributed to the apathy of BU students when it comes to sports (especially minor sports), Amy Hayes must share in some of the blame. To offer no explanation to the fans of BU softball as to why the team is without its star player is a mistake. How can a fan become attached to a team when the disappearance of the star players goes unmentioned and untalked about? Fans like to know everything they can about their favorite teams.
When the Terriers make their first appearance at the BU Softball Field tomorrow, they will rely heavily on the arms of freshman pitchers Ashlee Freeman and Brittany Detwiler. Both are promising pitchers, but can they do what Henneke, Horrick, Williams and McDonald couldn’t and escape the curse? Only time will tell, but I certainly wouldn’t want to pitch for the Terriers.
Joe Rouse, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly sports columnist for The Daily Free Press.
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