California serves as major recruiting state for Lehigh softball team

The Lehigh softball team consists of 18 women, 11 of whom are from California.

For freshman catcher Brianna Gerhardt of Petaluma, California, and freshman outfielder Ashley Quidolit, of Bonita, California, coming to Lehigh this winter was the first time ever seeing snow.

Gerhardt said when her teammates came to pick her up from the airport at the beginning of this semester, she made them pull over on their way to the school so she could belly flop into the snow.

“I realized after that it wasn’t a good idea,” Gerhardt said.

Quidolit said after seeing snow for the first time and seeing how it covered the field, she understood why the team needs field houses and why they have to practice inside.

Infographic by Kelly McCoy. Map courtesy of Wikimedia.

Coach Fran Troyan said he targets California women when recruiting because some of the best softball in the U.S. is played in California.

Troyan said this is mainly due to the weather. The nicer weather in California allows for teams to practice and play outside even in the winter. The year-round play causes softball to become part of the culture and draws more people to play.

Quidolit agreed with her coach, saying she played year-round growing up in California.

“I think a big part of it is definitely the weather,” Quidolit said. “I never knew what a field house was until I got here because we never had the use of one. We had year-round really good weather, so we are always out on the field, and I think that is a big difference.”

Gerhardt said she feels the ability to play outside throughout the year gives players a slight advantage over players from other states.

“You get to be on the dirt more,” Gerhardt said. “You get to practice more on the field where you play.”

Troyan echoed Gerhardt, saying players from California have an advantage over other players because they play more often and at a higher level than other states.

Troyan explained his recruitment process and how he goes about finding players for the team, saying that he only brings in the best and brightest. Troyan said he goes to softball tournaments all over the country looking for players for the team, and he uses travel ball coaches to provide leads on players and other information about them.

Gerhardt played on travel teams growing up in California and was contacted by Troyan via email because she was one of the few girls on her team who wasn’t committed to a university. Gerhardt said she had never considered an east coast school before she was contacted, but Troyan made her feel comfortable about joining the team.

“He makes you feel comfortable about traveling 3,000 miles to go to school,” Gerhardt said.

Gerhardt was so convinced about joining the team and coming to Lehigh that she committed before she ever came for an official visit.

Another resource Troyan uses when recruiting players for the team is word of mouth. The success of the team and the quality of education offered here at Lehigh spreads between players on travel teams, attracting other players to the program. Troyan labeled this as the law of attraction.

Quidolit is an example of this very situation. Quidolit said she went to high school with one of the other girls on the team — sophomore catcher Carolyn Wright — so when the two of them were at a tournament in Colorado, Troyan was there to scout Wright and was told about Quidolit through her.

Troyan went over to watch Quidolit play, and they started emailing back and forth from there. The interaction eventually led to her being recruited and joining the team.

Troyan said before recruiting anyone seriously or planning an official visit, he makes sure they would be a good fit for the team and the school. He has admissions run through their transcript to make sure they can get into Lehigh academically before he starts the recruitment process.

Troyan said while players from California had an advantage, he is not committed to only recruiting California players and he looks all over the country for quality players. He said none of the players in the class of 2020 are from California.