Spring is finally here, and with it warmer weather, longer days of sunlight, and  brilliant flowers. But in the change of seasons what many people do not notice is hidden underneath all that winter snow: a softball diamond.  For some softball is just a sport.  For others, it is a passion, a true connection they have with controlling the outcome of competitions, and Josie Novak does just that.

This month Novak is the featured athlete for The Comenian. She is a junior, working towards a double major in mathematics and accounting, while also pitching for the Moravian College softball team. Throughout her past seasons with the Greyhounds, she has obtained various awards and acknowledgements. In 2015 she was named the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year,  became a part of the Landmark All-Conference First Team, and earned the Most Outstanding Player award at the NCAA Rochester Regional.  In 2016, she was awarded the Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year, became a member of the All-Conference First Team, NCAA Ithaca Regional All-Tournament Team, and was voted team Co-MVP.

Novak’s  statistics are the backbone to her accomplishments.  She has surpassed her strikeout count, improved her ERA, and bettered her record. In 2015, her numbers consisted of 162 strikeouts, an ERA of 1.77, and a record of 19 wins and 6 losses.  In 2016,  her numbers e improved to 168, 1.74, and 19-4.

When asked about the upcoming season Novak replied, “I’m going to be around my numbers where I ended last year. This year the way the season started we should hopefully be able to go further in the postseason, so my numbers are better than last year’s.”

Novak got her start at a very young age, when she dabbled with other sports growing up such as basketball and cheerleading, but “softball always had my heart” she says. Ever since first grade, Novak has been playing the sport that she fell in love with, and after all those years of playing something truly special drew her to Moravian, “We’re like one big family, and our coach is a big part of who we are as a program. I definitely came here for our head coach John Bryne.”

One of her more favored pitches and the one that Novak claims is her best is her rise ball. She enjoys being a pitcher because there is nothing quite like. “ Having control of the game and determining who wins and loses.”.

This year Novak plans to apply her pitching skills and achieve new goals for her team by winning a national championship and winning the conference games. Since her tenure at Moravian College, Novak and the Greyhound softball team have consistently advanced to conference games.
Novak is  appreciative of her team as a whole and is grateful for her catcher, the second of a dynamic duo of sorts, Janae Matos. Novak is looking forward to another successful season, and before you see her take to the field she will be listening to “Bad Girlfriend” by Theory of Deadman–the song that gets her pumped and ready to play the game she has always loved.