By Andrew Smith
In recent years, Adelphi’s softball team has created a remarkable reputation on the diamond. This success was highlighted by an appearance in the Division II Softball Championship last spring. A major piece to this success has been starting pitcher Lindsey Hibbs, who has been a force on the mound during her time as a Panther.
Born in Ontario, Canada, Hibbs transferred to Adelphi during her first year from Onondaga Community College. Hibbs, a sport management major and psychology minor, is now entering her third season on the team.
The current junior credited her family for her athletic development. “My family played a huge role in my athletic development because they gave me so many opportunities growing up to succeed,” she said. “In Canada we don’t have school teams, only travel, and because of this, my parents didn’t hesitate to put me into showcase tournaments or camps to help me get recognized and gain more experience.”
Hibbs gave a shout-out to her siblings. “I have two older brothers who both played baseball, one currently still playing for his college team, who pushes me to be better every day.”
However, there was no one as impactful as her parents. “None of this, however, would have been possible without my dad because he has always been the one person to believe in me even when I didn’t and without that type of love, support and motivation from both my parents I can say full-heartedly that I wouldn’t be where I am today. They are truly my biggest fans.”
Hibbs explained the challenges that the softball team experienced during their long playoff run. Numerous times during their playoff run, the Panthers rallied from deficits as underdogs late in games to push them over the top. “If you have the heart in a sport that is so physically and mentally draining you can face any challenge but it takes a lot of grit to persevere through adversity and let me tell you, we have it. I can’t tell you how many times we made comebacks and upsets but it's because we never gave up. We were right there in every single game. All the parents by the end of the season were calling us the `comeback kids’' or the `cardiac cats.’”
Hibbs was dominant on the bump in 2022. She qualified for NFCA Second Team All-American, NFCA First Team All-Region, CoSIDA Academic All-District, NE10 All-Championship First Team and qualified for academic honor roll numerous times.
In addition, the ace pitcher also led the NE10 Conference with 301 total strikeouts, which set an Adelphi record. Hibbs has already carried this success into this season with a 20 strikeout perfect game against UNC Pembroke on Feb. 22.
Hibbs stated, “I am empowered and inspired by my coaches and teammates. Individual accolades are not possible without my team and coaches. AU softball has such a supportive environment where everyone wants to see each other succeed.”
Following a very remarkable 2022 Season, Hibbs noted that with success comes major challenges. “Coming back after having a successful season last year there is going to be a lot of pressure to either maintain or surpass those standards and that was a hard barrier to overcome because before last year we were the underdogs.”
Hibbs also explained what she wanted to focus on in the offseason. “This offseason I focused a lot on the mental aspect of my sport. By the end of the season last year, it was a true test of the mentally strong and although my team was right up there with the rest of our competition I found personally it was something I struggled with.”
Hibbs continued, “Everything starts from your thoughts and if you let your thoughts decide how you feel that is how you are going to feel so learning how to control my thoughts and therefore my mindset has been a true game changer for me. You truly don’t know how mentally taxing sports are until the winning run is on third, there’s two outs, and the girl up to bat is 3 for 3.”
Hibbs also recalled how her first career start was one of her most memorable days of her collegiate career. “After I was told I was starting a game, one of our alumni, Ally Muller, a senior at the time, brought me aside and told me how happy and proud she was of me. As a freshman transfer, I struggled to find my fit on the team and it was Ally that made me feel like I truly belonged. She told me how hard she knew I worked and she knew I was going to kill it.”
Be sure to come out and support our Panthers as they look to make another incredible postseason run once again this spring.
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