With New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games around the corner, Montclair State University’s softball team has been excelling.
They are currently riding a nine-game win streak with consecutive wins against Middlebury College, Hunter College, Baruch College, Neumann University and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham.
Last season, the Red Hawks finished in seventh place in conference, with a record of 5-13 in the NJAC and 17-21 overall.
This season, the Red Hawks were predicted to finish in sixth-place according to the 2025 NJAC preseason coaches poll.
With a record of 12-6 so far in her second season, head coach Nicole Degenhardt said the team has many new additions.
“We have a lot of young freshmen,” Degenhardt said. “When you have a lot of new players, it’s important that you build that foundation of good chemistry,”
She said the team has been working together and focusing on adjusting to playing with each other, driving them to get comfortable with one another.
Degenhardt said that the team has been playing well offensively.
“We have a lot of talent… We’ve been training a lot of the mental side of softball,” she said. “They’ve been doing a really good job of making adjustments, playing pitch by pitch, so resetting after every pitch, taking your time, after every pitch, they’ve been doing a good job with that,” she said.
Junior shortstop Liz Mullen said that the team integrated new members and forged strong bonds after a spring training trip in Florida. She said that group bonding activities, team-building exercises and living together helped to build cohesion.
“We all stayed in the same houses, and were basically living together, on our off days, we did team bonding type things,” Mullen said. “Playing as a team is what really made us become close through all the wins and the losses too.”
Junior shortstop Liz Mullen gets a hit. | Photo Courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
Mullen explained playing against Middlebury College in Clermont, Florida, where the team won with a score of 12-0 was a standout moment.
“We definitely had some ups and downs,” Mullen said. “But that last game, we really gelled as a team, and everything was falling into place. It was probably our best game yet.”
Graduate outfielder Rileigh Glynn discussed the process of teaching new players about Montclair State softball. As a leader on the team, she wants to make sure everyone is on the same page.
“When people come from high school, it’s a lot different anywhere you go,” Glynn said. “… You have to stay consistent through the whole game and really iron out the small details.”
She said focusing on those smaller details has improved their movement as a team.
“We do focus on the small details that we need to based on the games, either the ones we’re going into or ones we just played,” Glynn said. “Whether you’re starting or not, finding your role, getting put in for a pitch hit, or just throwing with a starter on the side. I’ll say strategy wise, make sure you’re doing what you need to be doing. That helps the team as a whole.”
Graduate outfielder Rileigh Glynn in the batter's box. | Photo Courtesy of Montclair State Athletics
Glynn discussed the excitement within the team’s winning streak and the significance of holding onto the team’s confidence going forward into the NJAC.
With a 12-6 record and winning nine straight games, Glynn said that the Red Hawks have set a strong tone for this season as the team prepares for the conference games.
“It’s really great to have [nine] wins straight going into the NJAC in a couple days, but I would say keeping that confidence, especially in the NJAC is a lot different compared to some of teams we’ve been seeing,” Glynn said. “We just got to keep doing what were doing, don’t get complacent and take more wins.”
