By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
The Aquinas Softball team huddles before a game – Photo by Aquinas Athletics
The Aquinas Softball team rewrote history during the team’s 2024 to 2025 season. The team reached the milestone of 1,200 all-time victories for the program. The 47th team in program history broke through adversity to this milestone, with an overall record of 21-21 and a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference record of 12-12.
“Our team has shown a ton of fight this year,” freshman Ada Bradford said. “At the start of the season we had to learn each other on and off the field quickly in order to succeed in the game. There were a lot of new players this year so working on gaining trust figuring out how to play together to be the best we could was the challenge.”
Coaches Brad Koch and Mary Takas are celebrating program excellence, but also milestones of their own. Coach Koch reached 289 wins as a coach in nine years at Aquinas, while Coach Takas reached 152 wins in her six years coaching the Saints.
As well as a successful season with historic milestones for the team as a whole and coaching staff, members of the team also reached impressive levels and milestones this season. Senior Sophia Pavese left her imprint on the Aquinas Softball program with an impressive 30 career wins and 180 strikeouts in her two years as a Saint. Pavese also was named the WHAC pitcher of the week for the week of April 21.
In addition to Pavese’s milestones, three other members of the program finished the regular season with significant achievements for the Aquinas Softball history books. Senior Emma Houseman recorded 100 career hits and 50 stolen bases. Carson Hendrickson recorded 150 career hits and alongside Housman reached 125 career wins. Katie Carlson also had a successful season, reaching 100 hits, 25 doubles and ten HRs in her two years as a Saint.
Just as every team faces its fair share of adversity and difficulties, the Saints of the Aquinas Softball team learned to adapt to the challenges thrown their way to record a historic season for the program.
“This has been a bit of a challenging year, with many injuries and tough competition,” Pavese said. “We have been battling our way through the WHAC, and I am proud of the girls for getting us to the postseason. I have built so many strong friendships this year and I am thankful for the experiences and memories with all of the girls.”
The team high fives after a successful win – Photo by Aquinas Athletics
The work is not done, even after a historic season for the Aquinas Softball program. The team is still working hard, with hopes set on a spot in the WHAC tournament, occurring Wednesday, April 30 through Friday, May 2.
“We have shown fight late in games throughout the season, coming back and winning,” Bradford said. “We have battled the past couple weeks to secure a spot in the WHAC tournament and have shown grit on the field, have kept high spirits throughout the season and can count on each other having our backs.”
With the milestones reached and the individual accomplishments of members of the team, the Aquinas Softball team is rewriting the history books for the Aquinas Softball program as a whole for years to come.
The Saint 