Lehigh Softball Senior Reflections – Lehigh University Athletics

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh softball program will recognize its six-member senior class prior to Sunday’s series finale against Colgate. The Mountain Hawks’ class of 2022 has reached the championship round of its first two Patriot League Tournaments and saw a promising 2020 campaign derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This group of six will be looking to lead Lehigh to his first Patriot League title since 2017.

With Senior Day festivities set for Sunday, Lehighsports.com caught up with the members of the Lehigh softball class of 2022.

#4 Karsen O’Rourke – Second Base – Cameron Park, Calif. – Earth and Environmental Science

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

KO: I hit my first collegiate home run and the team tackled me at Penn. My dad and I had been working really hard on getting more power into my swing without sacrificing hand eye coordination, and the coaching staff was really receptive and helpful with my changes. Emily Cimino got so excited that she accidentally punched the concrete ceiling of the dugout.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

KO: My class tried really hard to foster team chemistry this year. We have a really cool freshman class, and although we only get one year with them, we tried to get to know them the way we know our juniors and sophs. I’m glad we did, and I hope the “friends first, teammates second” model we tried to implement sticks around. It makes everyone pretty invested in each other’s success.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

KO: We have six absolutely different personalities, but we learned after a freshman year that sticking together made college athletics a lot easier and a lot more fun. We live together, we’ve probably spent most of every waking second together for the past three years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

KO: We have not won a ring during my time at Lehigh yet, and I think we have the means to do it this year. I love my team, I love my friends, and I love my sport. I’ll be sad to leave it all soon, but I know that I’ll have friends for life. We have been saying “LAOF” all year (pronouncing it “loaf”) for Leave All On Field, and that’s exactly how I would like to leave this sport, with no regrets.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

KO: I will miss my friends the most. I loved going to practice and games with my friends and seeing their successes and hearing about how their days went.

What are your postgraduate plans?

KO: I have an environmental consulting job in Princeton, NJ that I’m excited for. I looked for a company that had a similar culture to the one I’m leaving, and I am very grateful to have found one.

#9 Carley Barjaktarovich – shortstop – Richmond, Mich. – HR Management and Marketing

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

CB: Beating a top 25 ranked team (James Madison) my sophomore year. It was a well fought team win that was fun to be a part of.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

CB: I want to be remembered as a teammate who gave nothing less than 110% in everything, whether that be on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom, or in any aspect of life.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

CB: I’m incredibly grateful for my classmates that I got to spend the past four years with. Our college experience was definitely not a typical one, but there’s no other group I could imagine spending the ups and downs of my experience with. I don’t know that there’s a group of people who can make me laugh more than they can. Regardless of where we all end up, I know that they will forever be only a phone call away.
Carley Barjaktarovich at Liberty
Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

CB: Although I have one more year left to compete, the fact that it is already my class’ Senior Day is tough to believe. How almost the past four years have flown by making me appreciate every second I get to spend on the dirt with my teammates even more. The sport of softball has given me far more than I could ever repay, and my time left playing is something I won’t take for granted.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

CB: The people are what make Lehigh and the softball program a second home for me. Without my teammates, coaches, the sports medicine team, our strength and conditioning staff, and many others within the athletic department, Lehigh softball would not be the same. Being a part of this program is so special because of the people you get to compete for a championship with.

What are your postgraduate plans?

CB: I plan on returning to Lehigh for a fifth year.

#14 Melissa Fedorka – First Base/Catcher – Phoenix, Ariz. – Computer science

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

MF: It’s hard to pinpoint one favorite memory, but if I had to choose, I would say that our Spring Break trips are always so memorable. It’s not every day that you get to live in a house for a week with eight or more softball players, so the conversations and experiences we all had together will always be remembered.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

MF: I would like to be remembered as the teammate that showed up every day with energy and humor. Playing well is important, but it is equally as important to be able to have fun with the people around you while doing something that you love.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

MF: Living with my fellow classmates and spending every day with them has made us very close and I cannot imagine doing life without them. All of our personalities are different and unique, but we blend so well together and always have good times with lots of laughs. I am so lucky to have been able to spend the last four years with my class and I cannot wait to see what big things they are going to do next.
Melissa Fedorka 234
Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

MF: I am both very excited and sad about Senior Day. The Lehigh Softball community has been my identity for four years now and while I am excited to see what comes next for me, I am also sad to be leaving a place that has introduced me to amazing people and given me some great experiences and memories.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

MF: I will definitely miss my teammates and the time we all got to spend together the most. From the long bus rides, to team dinners and card game nights, to team events like laser tag or sky zone, I always enjoy and look forward to the times that I get to spend with the team because they are some of the funniest people that I know.

What are your postgraduate plans?

MF: I am planning on spending the summer traveling and then will move to Washington DC to work as a Software Engineer for BTI360.

#20 Gabriella Nori – Pitcher – Weston, Fla. – IDEAS

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

GN: My favorite Lehigh softball memory was pitching against the University of South Florida over spring break this year. I loved being able to play close to home and have all my family there.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

GN: I would like to be remembered as a team player who wanted nothing but the best for my teammates as people first, and student-athletes second.

Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

GN: My fellow seniors have been the best people I could’ve asked to spend the last four years with. We’ve made so many memories and been through all the highs and lows together, and they are my second family.
Gabriella Nori 7292
Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

GN: Going into Senior Day, it’s a bittersweet feeling. The last two years have been anything but normal, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to make the most of my senior season. I’m excited to move on to the next chapter of my life and see what the future holds for me.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

GN: I will miss being able to see my friends every day, but I’m thankful for the lifelong friendships I have made and the ability to stay in touch easily. I’m also going to miss pre-game pitcher hacky.

What are your postgraduate plans?

GN: I’m applying to graduate schools right now to pursue my Master’s in Public Health.

#22 Jaelynn Chesson – Outfield – Franklin, Tenn. – Design

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

JC: Setting a new career home run record this season even though we’ve only been able to play two complete seasons.

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

JC: I would like to be remembered as a friend to everyone and one who always cared. I would like to leave as one who never afraid to speak up when something was wrong or we as a team needed something done.
Jaelynn Chesson 389
Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

JC: We have all been very close to each other through the years and have built bonds that will last for many years to follow.

Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

JC: I am excited and sad going into Senior Day. Sad about a chapter in my life coming to an end and having to leave some of my closest friends. i am excited however to be entering into a new part of life. I know it won’t be easy but I believe that the past four years here at Lehigh has built me ​​up, not only physically but also mentally and prepared me for what is to come.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

JC: The teammates I currently have and have had in the past. Every team I have been apart of has been unique and made me into the person I am today. I am very appreciative of all that we have been able to go through together.

What are your postgraduate plans?

JC: At this point I have many potential plans and they will be decided upon within the next few weeks. One thing I do know is for sure about my future is I will be constantly moving around for the next several years.

#25 Addie Kittel – Utility – Columbus, Ohio – Psychology

What’s your favorite Lehigh Softball memory up until this point?

AK: Getting to pitch against JMU and striking out their number four batter. I’m not a pitcher…

What legacy would you like to leave at Lehigh?

AK: As a class we have stressed the importance of relationships with our teammates off the field. I hope this tradition continues and our team keeps great team morale as a Lehigh softball standard.
Addie Kittel 278
Describe the relationship with your fellow seniors.

AK: My senior class has been my backbone my entire four years. My first three years were far from easy and they continued to keep me somewhat sane.

Describe the feeling going into Senior Day. What are some of your thoughts as you’re nearing the end of your collegiate career?

AK: I can’t believe it has come so almost. When people told me it would fly by, I never believed them until this weekend. I have learned far more than softball skills over the past four years and I can’t thank my class enough for that.

What will you miss most about Lehigh softball?

AK: My teammates for sure.

What are your postgraduate plans?

AK: Pursuing a doctorate in occupational therapy at Northern Kentucky starting in January.

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