Lehigh Softball Senior Reflections

Holy Cross Series Preview

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball program will recognize its six member senior class prior to Sunday's regular season finale against Holy Cross at Leadership Park. The Mountain Hawks' class of 2018 has experienced success on and off the field. Lehigh has won 66 percent of its games over the last three-plus seasons, including three straight Patriot League regular season titles and Patriot League Tournament championships in 2015 and 2017.

The members of this class have combined to earn five All-Patriot League honors, two NFCA All-Region accolades and a pair of Patriot League major awards for on-field performance, while in the classroom Lehigh's six seniors hold an impressive 3.42 cumulative GPA.

With Senior Day festivities set for Sunday, Lehighsports.com caught up with the members of the Lehigh softball class of 2018.

#4 Nicole Yozzo – Outfield – Pleasanton, Calif. – English and Psychology
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
NY: My favorite Lehigh softball memories are Brandi's (Hawkins) beautiful hit during our NCAA regional tournament run in 2015, the games from last year's PLC against Boston U., and any time that I got to hang out and laugh with my girls. Any day that I get to play ball with my friends is a good day.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
NY: I'd like to be remembered as a good friend, someone with a positive attitude, and a hard worker.
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Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
NY: They are some of the most genuine people I know, and have been great role models for how to be comfortable in my own skin. They have had my back all day every day for the last four years and it's been such a blessing to get to go through college with such wonderful women.

Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
NY: Going into senior day, I am so grateful. I could not have asked for a better, more supportive softball or athletic program. I am so thankful to my parents for every opportunity that they have given to me, and to my siblings for sitting through 10,000 hours of dinner table softball talk (and always keeping me humble, thanks guys).

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
NY: I think that I will miss the daily routine most. Seeing the girls at practice is always a highlight of my day. I know I'll also miss the rush of adrenaline on game day and cheering and dancing in the dugout.

What are your postgraduate plans?
NY: Next year, I am getting my Master's in Educational Leadership at Lehigh!

#6 Rachel Timberman – Shortstop – Shingle Springs, Calif. - Biochemistry
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
RT: My favorite softball memory was winning the Patriot League Championship last year. It was a big team effort and we wouldn't have won without everyone contributing. We had to scratch and claw our way to championship and nothing felt quite as rewarding as that

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
RT: I'd like to be remembered as someone who can make the team laugh and kept the atmosphere fun.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
RT: My relationship with my fellow classmates is based on trust. I know that I've made six "forever friends" that I could count on for anything. They've been with me through thick and thin and I know that won't ever change.
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Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
RT: Going into senior day is very bittersweet. What a wonderful ride it has been (it's not over yet!). This game that I've come to know and love is soon about to end for me and I'm just truly grateful for having the opportunity to play for as long as I have. I already know that I will miss playing more than I can possibly imagine at the moment, but all good things must come to an end, and I think I've come to terms with that.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
RT: I'll definitely miss the people that have been a part of the program the most. My teammates, old and new, have become my best friends and my coaches have prepared me for anything life could throw at me.

What are your postgraduate plans?
RT: I will be returning to Lehigh to get my Masters of Engineering degree in Technical Entrepreneurship while completing a graduate assistantship within the athletic department.

#8 Katie Schultz – Outfield – San Diego, Calif. – Psychology
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
KS: Winning the Patriot League Tournament last year was especially exciting for a number of reasons. We had a very emotional start with a lot of adversity, which we overcame together. At the Patriot League Tournament, we lost to Boston and had a very close game with Army. After our win against Army, we ended up having to beat Boston twice to win. Going into the final day, we all knew we would win it all. Just knowing how hard we worked to get to that championship and doing it as a team was one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever felt.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
KS: I want to be remembered as someone who worked hard every day to earn a spot on the field. I want to be remembered as a team player who constantly put the team before my own needs, and as a selfless player who left it all out on the field day in and day out. I also want to be remembered as a loving friend who brought many laughs with crazy get-ups and a love for Apple Watches. Lastly, I want to be remembered as someone who even in the face of adversity, pushed through to play the game to the best of my ability.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
KS: We are a group of girls with six unique personalities that have been meshed together to create greatness. I couldn't imagine my four years here without the five of them by my side. We've experienced a number of laughs, cries, and adverse situations together, all which brought us together even more than we were before. To my class, thank you for always picking me up when I'm down, for always pushing me to be a stronger woman, and for being the sisters I never had.
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Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
KS: It's a bittersweet feeling heading into the last few weeks of my softball career. All good things must come to an end, and I couldn't be happier with how my career has progressed. I've had many ups and downs, all which have made me a stronger individual. I'm thankful to have been given the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level, and to have been included in such a wonderful program. Lehigh softball has led to many lasting relationships, and has been such an inclusive space for everyone and anyone. I am beyond thankful for the many opportunities, and am excited for the next chapter in my life.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
KS: I will miss the girls the most. It's very rare to find such a unique group of individuals, and even rarer to find a group with such a degree of closeness. I will miss the little competitions that we have on and off the field. Halloween will always hold a special place in my heart, and am thankful to share so many laughs with these girls. I'll miss the bus rides, the headphone challenges, the pregame traditions, and the shagging at practice.

What are your postgraduate plans?
KS: I've accepted a position as a Research Analyst for Magellan Research Group in NYC.

#9 Lindsay Phillips – Infield/Pitcher – Los Angeles, Calif. – Biology
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
LP: My favorite Lehigh softball memory would have to be playing UCLA in the first round of Regionals in 2017. I had grown up being a huge fan of UCLA and I would go to all of their games when I was a very young softball player. I was the little kid who asked the starting short stop to sign my ball at the end of the game. Being able to step on their field and hit in their cages as a player and not as a camper was surreal. I will never forget the once in a lifetime experience and I am blessed to have had that opportunity.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
LP: I would like to be remembered as the kid who kept on pushing even in the face of extreme adversity. Not everyone is going to play and not everyone is going to get the same opportunities. The legacy I want to leave behind is character and strength to continue to stick with something that might not be favorable to you at the moment. Although I was never the impactful player I knew I could be, I found myself continuing to work hard to play when I was needed and positively impact the team. At the end of the day, hard work and dedication allowed me to pitch in a few college games, which I had only dreamed about doing ever since I was a child. I hope that my character, strength and determination inspires players to continue to work hard even when they might feel like they are not contributing to the team. Without us, the team is not as strong.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
LP: I have a good relationship with the other seniors on the team, and I think of them as family. We all might have completely opposite personalities, but we all share the same passion for softball, which brings us closer. It's going to be hard to leave them, but I am sure we will all catch up at least once a year. After all, we are all from California!
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Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
LP: I am very excited to go into Senior Day because I am ready to finally hang up my cleats after leaving it all on the field for four years. These last four years of softball have been nothing short of inspiring, and I have grown so much as a person and a player through my experience at Lehigh. However, everything that is great must come to an end, and with an end there is always a new beginning. I am genuinely excited to see what my next stage in life has in store for me and I am thankful because I know softball has prepared me.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
LP: The thing I will miss the most from Lehigh softball are my best friends on the team that I have become so close to. They have not only become my best friends, but they have turned into family. Knowing that I have to leave them is going to be a really hard transition, but family stays together no matter how much time passes by.

What are your postgraduate plans?
LP: As of now, I plan to take one or two gap years in which I work as an EMT and gain hours in a concussions research lab in Los Angeles. I am planning on either applying to Medical School or PA school in the coming year.

#22 Cassie Lajeunesse – Outfield – Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. – Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
CL: My favorite memory happened last year when we won the Patriot League Championship after beating Boston U. in two games on Sunday. Coming up from the loser's bracket to win the tournament was the highlight of my career so far because it really showed the grit and determination we had as a team. We had some struggles early in the season last year, which made winning all the more special.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
CL: I would like to be remembered as someone who was always there for her teammates and as someone who always tried to put the team first. I have worked really hard in my four years here to be a part of the positive culture that surrounds our team, and I hope that my legacy keeps fostering the softball sisterhood.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
CL: I could not ask for a better group of seniors. I love each and every member of my class, and I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to spend the last four years making memories with them. We have some pretty different personalities, which I think have complemented each other well during our time at Lehigh. I am so proud to call these wonderful seniors not just my teammates but also my friends and sisters. My relationships with every one of them mean the world to me, and I would not trade my time with them for anything.
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Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
CL: The only thing I am letting myself think about is just taking it one day at a time and enjoying every minute that I have left. These four years have gone by so fast and a part of me still can't believe that my career here is coming to an end.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
CL: I will definitely miss my teammates the most. Being a part of Lehigh softball is about more than just a team, it is about creating a family both on and off the field. I know that I will miss seeing my Lehigh softball family every day, and I will cherish these friendships for the rest of my life. I love my teammates so much, and I am so honored to have been a part of this family.

What are your postgraduate plans?
CL: As of now my postgraduate plans consist of a summer job working at Pocono Springs Camp as well as a yearlong position with Greater Oaks Charter Schools. I will be working in Newark, N.J. as a tutor. This is an Americorp program, which will allow me to dedicate a year of service before going back to graduate school to earn a Master's in Social Work.

#24 Carolyn Wright – Catcher/First Base – Chula Vista, Calif. – Accounting
What's your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?
CW: I have a very specific favorite Lehigh softball memory from the championship game of the Patriot League Tournament my junior year. I was catching for Christine Campbell and we were down to the last out of the championship game. The batter had two strikes, and if we got her out, we were the 2017 Patriot League Champions. Our pitching coach Steph called a curve ball off the plate, and I got so excited because I knew that was the pitch that would get this girl out. That moment, before catching that pitch (which did strike her out swinging), was the moment where I felt the most confidence, excitement, pride, and anticipation that I had ever felt up to that point while playing softball. It was the moment in which I knew that all our hard work and determination was going to pay off. I have had so many memorable moments with my team, but that moment where I was overwhelmed with that much pride and confidence in being a part of Lehigh softball is something I know I won't forget.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?
CW: I would like to be remembered as someone who was always sure to take care of the details. There are so many small details that go into being a student athlete. Academically, you have to keep up with assignments, tests, professor relationships, and even just making it to class as much as possible to really be a good student. Athletically, you must make sure you are maintaining your personal skills for offense and defense, as well as maintaining your skills of being a good player for your coach and a good teammate for your teammates. As you get older, team leadership becomes another detail that becomes your responsibility, and you must look out for your teammates to make sure they are taking care of their details as well. Socially, you have to make sure you give your friendships and relationships the attention they deserve. I would like to be remembered as someone who, although far from perfect in any one of these categories, made it an everyday effort and goal to keep up on all the small details of student-athlete life at Lehigh, and someone who was able to get as close as possible to reaching this goal.
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Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.
CW: The thing I love most about my class is our diversity. On the most basic level, our class is diverse in our abundance of majors, which means whenever one of us has a question, another is usually able to answer it, whether it is about medicine, taxes, grammar, or psychology. More importantly, because our class is so large and often so spread out around campus each day, the times that the six of us can all be together have come to be very special and memorable times. From having class dinners, to making Halloween costumes, to watching movies or just sitting around together, our diverse interests and personalities make for interesting, memorable, and often humorous conversations that I won't soon forget. As we go our six different ways after college, I know that it will be much more difficult for all of us to be together in the same place, but I really do look forward to those amazing moments when I will get to be with these five other lovely ladies again.

Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you're nearing the end of your collegiate career?
CW: Thinking about Senior Day has caused me to think a lot about how my life is going to change in a few short weeks. There are many parts of my life that softball has impacted, that I don't think I will become aware of until it is gone. I can think of an obvious few, such as having an organized time to see my friends and teammates every day, having games as a reason for my parents to fly across the country to come visit me six times in four months, taking extra swings off the tee just to relieve stress (with the side effect of getting better at softball), and having trainers to keep me in shape with lifts, speed training, and my personal favorite, boxing workouts. I anticipate there being a lot more things that I will miss that I don't even notice as gifts softball has given me, and I am a little nervous to find out what those things are.
Above all else, while I have been thinking about Senior Day, I have realized the amazing opportunity that Lehigh softball has given me to enjoy and succeed in my last four years of competitive softball, while also preparing me incredibly well to jump right into the real world. As I am met with new experiences and challenges, I will carry with me everything I learned on and off the field at Lehigh and have the confidence that I am prepared to succeed in whatever is thrown my way.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?
CW: The thing I will miss most about Lehigh softball is definitely my teammates. Being away from this team, I have no idea who I will willingly spend two to twelve hours a day with. I will really miss having study buddies, hotel roommates, and people to teach me new dance moves and cheers. Most of all, I will miss the support system of knowing 18 girls who always have your back. I know I am not losing any of my friends after graduation, but it will be really hard not getting to see their faces every day.

What are your postgraduate plans?
CW: After graduation, I will begin working in November at the public accounting firm RSM in their McLean, Va. office. I will be a part of the audit team, whose clients are middle market not-for-profits, government contractors, and other companies in the Washington D.C. area. Between graduation and beginning work in November, I will be home in San Diego studying for and hopefully passing my CPA exams, while also polishing up my skills as a mountain biker and fisherman.

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 3, 2026 , Win , 8, to, 1

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 4, to, 5

Completed Event: Softball versus Lafayette on May 2, 2026 , Loss , 9, to, 12

Completed Event: Softball at Villanova on April 28, 2026 , Win , 5, to, 0

Completed Event: Softball versus Hofstra on April 26, 2026 , Win , 7, to, 1

Completed Event: Softball versus Georgetown on April 26, 2026 , Win , 8, to, 6

Completed Event: Softball at Rutgers on April 24, 2026 , Loss , 3, to, 8

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