March 15, 2010
Catherine Surane is a sophomore on the Santa Clara Broncos softball team. She was born in Long Beach, California; however she now resides in Newbury Park, California. She enjoys animals, reading, and cooking. While in school, she wants to obtain a JD/MBA and be successful in business. As for her play on the field, Catherine helps the Broncos by her versatility as the team’s utility player.
Being the beginning of the season, and only six games played, the chance to move on to playoffs is open to anyway. In your opinion, what changes will you and your teammates need to make in order to turn the season around?
In my opinion the team has all the potential in the world. We need to stay positive and continue to put in the same hard work as we have been all year. I think that the team is on the right track to busting out and having a winning season. You were the team’s leading hitter early in the year.
What do you attribute your current success too? (ie. new work out program, adjustments to batting stance, seeing the ball well, ect…)
I have always been a consistent hitter (I put the ball in play whenever I get up to bat). However, as a freshman last year I struggled with my confidence in the box. This year I decided to take an entirely different approach. I decided to have fun rather than stress in my at bats. I know this sounds simple but it made a world of change for me. Slowing the game down by taking deep breaths and taking it one pitch at a time allowed me to gain my confidence back which makes the game much more fun.
Being an underclassman and having the kind of success you have been having on a struggling team, some may consider you stuck in a tough position of taking on a team leadership role versus staying quite. Would you agree with this position and how do you go about handling it or; do you disagree with this position and what in your opinion is the appropriate role for you to play in order for the team to be most successful?
Our team does not suffer from a leadership complex. We all trust each other's opinions and no one is scared to speak up when they have a useful tip for someone else. I believe that this is one of our team's biggest strengths. This year I have become more vocal and try to give useful advice when necessary but I do not feel the need to lecture anyone. I don't think my success gives me any right to become more of a leader. Leadership comes from respect that you have earned from your teammates through constant hard work and dedication to the team.
The definition of a utility player is the ability to play a wide variety of positions on the field. However, what position do you prefer most to play on the field if you had the choice?
I honestly love to catch. However, more than anything I love to play. Being a utility player means you have to be ready to play any position at the drop of a hat. It was difficult for me to accept that role mentally, at first, because I have been so used to playing in my set position for such a long time. However, I have finally embraced the idea of being a utility player. It not only allows me to play, but, also, to help the team in many different ways. It is very important for me, and the rest of the team, to be extremely versatile this year because we have such a short roster. Versatility will be a huge factor in our success.
What predictions do you have for the rest of the season?
I think that this year will be a year of great growth for our team. Although we will be losing four great seniors this year our team is still fairly young and this year has, and will continue to, help our team create great chemistry. Chemistry, confidence, and versatility are the three most important factors for a winning team, in my opinion, and Santa Clara Softball is making great strides to have all three.
