College softball in Minnesota and elsewhere remains primarily White. Annual NCAA data show six percent of softball players are Black — it was five percent from 2014 to 2019.
The MSR last weekend, in separate games, talked to the only three Blacks on the state’s two Division I softball teams. One starts at Minnesota, and two are first-year players at St. Thomas. All three Black females are acutely aware that they are the only ones out there either on the field or in the dugouts, as their respective opponents had zero Blacks on their rosters.
Gophers’ Breezy Burnett
Breezy Burnett’s third Gopher season concluded last weekend. The 5’7” junior outfielder along with her teammates braved the March-like temps (in the low 40s at game time) and defeated visiting Michigan 4-0 at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
“I’m just staying moving,” said Burnett afterwards. She started in centerfield and got on base via a walk in the victory last Friday. “I use a lot of HotHands,” she admitted as a way to cope with the cold. “I got HotHands in my back pocket. And I just try to mentally block it out because I’ve played in very worse conditions.
“I always compare it to games where it was like 10 times colder than it was today,” noted the Jacksonville, Fla. native. She caught one of six fly balls the Wolverines hit and kept a Michigan runner from advancing.
Starting pitcher Sydney Schwartz pitched a masterful gem, striking out five and only giving up three hits in her complete game win.
“She works hard day in and day out, and just literally mowed down [opposing batters] every game,” marveled Burnett of her teammate. “It’s no surprise to me because I knew she can do it.”
It also came as no surprise that she didn’t see any other players that look like herself, added Burnett, who has been a regular with the Gophers during her entire college career thus far. She started every game this season, had a .400 slugging percentage — almost 30 points better than her career average — and went 2-for-2 in base stealing, 17-for-18 for her career.
“I definitely always notice,” said Burnett. “I always look just to see if there’s another one. That’s crazy.”
Burnett said she looks forward to next season, her final at Minnesota, and hopes one day of seeing more Blacks playing softball at non-HBCU schools. “I still got next year, so I’m excited to keep chipping away.”
Tommies’ Wichman and Trotter
The University of St. Thomas Tommies won their first Summit League softball title by defeating North Dakota State two of three games last weekend at South Field.
Freshmen Miley Wichman and Zoe Trotter, the team’s only Black players, each had a hand in their team’s 9-0 victory last Saturday that clinched the title. Both were pinch runners, and Wichman scored a run.
“We flushed it and we came back stronger,” said Wichman, a 5’-7” utility player, after the team’s postgame celebration. UST split the doubleheader the day before and wanted to win last Saturday not only for the school’s first league crown but also because it was Senior Day.
“We’re playing for them…and letting the day take us where it takes us, and just really enjoying it together,” added Trotter, the 5’-5” outfielder.
The two first-year players met on their recruiting visit last year. “We had our visit together,” recalled Trotter, “and we just were really excited to be around the team. Everybody just has the same goal in mind—just here to win and here to have fun and compete. That’s what we really were excited to do.”
On being the only Black players on the Tommies, “Our coach does a great job of just recruiting good people and wanting to have a diverse team, and she knows that’s really important,” stressed Trotter.
“I think that is their goal,” added Wichman on the importance of diversity.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.
