Sydney Parlett captains Lehigh softball from behind the dish

Junior Sydney Parlett stands at the center of a pregame huddle, surrounded by her teammates. 

She yells, dances and lets out a powerful burst of energy as her team erupts around her.

As the team’s starting catcher, utility player and captain, Parlett sets the tone for games and the culture of the Lehigh softball team.

“Sydney has guts,” said junior pitcher Chloe Hess. “She can get all of us going just by being herself. That’s leadership.”

Parlett, an industrial and systems engineering major from Maryland, has become a versatile contributor for the Mountain Hawks. But the journey to her current role started far from the catcher’s gear she now wears nearly every game.

In high school, Parlett was a four-year varsity starter at Northern High School in Owings, Maryland. She was also a three-time team captain and a top 100 national recruit for softball. 

During her senior year of high school, she batted .525, with eight home runs and a 1.300 slugging percentage. She was also a successful student, graduating as salutatorian. 

Parlett said softball wasn’t her first choice despite her dominance on the diamond. She also played basketball and soccer, and danced for a short stint.

“I thought I was going to college for basketball,” Parlett said. “My mom forced me to play (softball), and I ended up being pretty good at it, so I just kept playing.”

Upon choosing to continue to play softball, she said her collegiate path wasn’t easy. Recruited during the COVID pandemic, she said she committed to Lehigh without visiting campus or meeting the coaches in person. 

Coach Fran Troyan said Parlett’s recruitment was a “gut decision,” as he never met her in person until she stepped on campus.

“I could tell she was someone with high character and a lot of talent,” Troyan said. “We ended up getting real lucky.”

Parlett made an immediate impact on the team. As a first-year, she played in 52 out of 54 games, earning second team All-Patriot League honors. She embraced a utility role, starting games on third base as a catcher and a designated hitter.

Parlett said playing multiple positions came with added pressure, leading to her staying after practice to take on extra reps. However, she said conversations with coaches changed her outlook on her role.

“I had a conversation with my coach explaining how it felt, because it was a lot,” Parlett said. “He told me to start thinking of it more as a privilege, that being athletic enough to play all these different positions is something to take pride in.”

That perspective shift paid off. Following the graduation of Amanda Greaney, ‘24, Parlett emerged as the team’s primary catcher, which she said is her favorite position.

Troyan said Parlett has grown as a leader this season through self-critique and a strong work ethic. 

“Even if she’s going through something on the inside, she still gives one hundred percent and is the leader we need,” he said.

Parlett’s leadership came into focus after Lehigh’s rough start to the season. A wave of illness swept through the roster, sidelining players at the same time the team was entering conference play and facing strong opponents on the West Coast. The team had a 12-14 record through its opening non-conference slate.

She said after dropping their opening three-game series to Army West Point, she and her fellow captains, seniors Rory Dudley and Julia Mrochko, rallied the team.

“That was our wake-up call,” Parlett said. “Since then, we’ve said, ‘We’re going to war for each other.’”

She said the team responded well to this, and since falling to the Black Knights in late March, the Mountain Hawks have gone 13-5 in conference play, sitting in third place with Patriot League playoffs approaching.

First-year catcher Wrigley Fanter said the team looks up to Parlett due to her ability to lead by example.

“She’s a strong communicator,” Fanter said. “She tells people what needs to happen in order for it to happen, and she’s really motivational for pitchers. It helps them feel like they can get out of sticky positions.”

As her junior regular season nears its end, Parlett said she’s already begun to reflect on her time at Lehigh and what she wants to do next. With plans to pursue engineering, she said she wants to soak up every last moment on the diamond.

As for her legacy in Lehigh softball, Parlett said she wants to be remembered by her teammates as someone they could fully rely and depend on.

“This summer might be the last time I train for something like this,” Parlett said. “After that, it’s workouts just to stay healthy. There’s no scoreboard.”