Junior second baseman Carly McEachran’s parents put her in softball as a child, and she never looked back. The junior has made tremendous strides on the offensive front for the Vikings softball team. Her vocal leadership will continue to be important as the Vikings work to smooth out some of their offensive inconsistencies.
Junior second baseman Carly McEachran’s parents put her in softball as a child, and she never looked back. The junior has made tremendous strides on the offensive front for the Vikings softball team. Her vocal leadership will continue to be important as the Vikings work to smooth out some of their offensive inconsistencies.
“I was nine, and my parents decided that I was going to play little league,” McEachran said. “I was more into soccer at that point, but I think I chose to stick with it because I liked the challenges of softball. It was the most demanding [sport] mentally, so I liked the feeling of being successful and overcoming the challenges that softball brings.”
After winning three of their four games against Idaho State last weekend, the Vikings currently sit at 16-15 overall and 6-2 in their conference. McEachran made her big play in the Vikings’ first win Saturday over the Bengals with an RBI single. Overall, she is currently tied in fifth place on the team for batting average and has scored 10 runs this season—just one behind senior Jenna Krogh.
“Carly has really stepped up as a leader this year,” head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. “She has really embraced that responsibility and done a great job.”
The team has been able to secure recent wins, but they have not come easily. The Vikings left a painful combined 20 runners on base in the Idaho State double-header on Friday. As a leader on offense, McEachran said this is crucial to overcome in upcoming games.
“Offense is our biggest focus,” McEachran said. “We left a lot of runners on base in the first series, so remaining confident, and everybody individually just picking up each at bat, one at a time [will be important].”
While McEachran is focusing on offense, Echo-Hawk said that the second baseman has increased her defensive production as well.
McEachran’s career records speak for themselves. In 2011, she was named Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division co-Player of the Year, First Team All-PCSC Mountain Division and PCSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The second baseman put her name on six top-10 rankings in the conference, including second place in triples.
The junior said that while she is a self-motivated person on the field, her father has always been a role model for her athletic career.
“My dad is one of my key supporters,” McEachran said. “I definitely have to give kudos to the parents for sticking around all those practices and games and everything to do with the sport. He coached for a good part of my career, and that includes weeknight games, driving to tournaments, everything. He is the first one I call when things aren’t going the way I would like to. [He] definitely has been an inspiration.”
McEachran hopes to use the vocal leadership she has obtained as a Viking for a future career in broadcast journalism. Meanwhile, she is focusing on her communication degree and sleeping—that is, whenever softball and school allow it.
“I am so proud of the progress that she has made since her freshman year,” Echo-Hawk said. “She has really matured and developed into a great player.”
McEachran had some advice for her younger teammates.
“KISS, ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid,’” McEachran said. “I think that applies a lot to the sport. I would advise someone in softball to understand that it is a mental game and the more relaxed and simpler you keep, the better you will play.”
McEachran and her fellow Vikings hit the road again for more conference action next. The road-heavy schedule has Portland State at Northern Colorado on Saturday and Sunday. Both games will be double-headers. Live audio can be found at goviks.com by clicking on the live events tab.
