In her final season with the Pomona-Pitzer softball team, Caitlyn Hynes PO ’14 has been an integral part of the team’s success over the past four years. The senior first baseman was a Second Team All-SCIAC selection last year, and this year she leads the team in RBIs with 12. Hynes took a break from softball to speak with TSL about her season so far, the upcoming series with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and her involvement with Pomona-Pitzer Christian Fellowship.
TSL: So, Caitlyn, you’re
obviously now a big softball player. Was that your first sport?
Caitlyn Hynes: The first sport I played was soccer.
I have two older siblings so I pretty much ended up playing the same sports
that they did. So they played soccer, basketball, and softball/baseball, so I
was always dragged along to their practices.
TSL: So that’s how you got into
softball?
CH: Yeah, I wanted to do what they did. And it was
convenient for my parents because they knew things about [softball].
TSL: You’re pretty decorated
when it comes to your personal play awards. How has this season been from a
personal statistics standpoint?
CH: This year hasn’t been as good statistically,
but I wasn’t trying to focus on statistics. I was trying to focus more on just
doing whatever my team needed me to do, whether that was on the field or off the
field. I was trying to judge success this season more on supporting teammates
and being a leader.
TSL: What are your thoughts on
this season compared to seasons past?
CH: We’ve been up-and-down the last few years, but
we’re definitely on the upswing this season. Two years ago we broke the school
record for wins, and prior to that Pomona doesn’t really have an illustrious
softball history. From my freshman year to now, just seeing the program grow,
just the amount of players and talent coming in, it’s grown exponentially the
past few years. Despite the fact that we started off [this season] rough, we
have come back really, really strong. Even though we have losses in the past
few weeks, I don’t necessarily see them as losses because we played really
well, so much better than at the beginning of the year. I’ve seen a lot of
perseverance with my teammates.
TSL: OK, so coming up there
are some CMS games. Do you guys treat those games any differently? Do you
get up for the rivalry?
CH: In an ideal world, we wouldn’t treat it any
differently, but naturally there’s a lot of competition there, things you want
to prove. Yeah, so there’s definitely more at stake on that game; it’s more
exciting. It’s not necessarily pressure; people get really excited and amped, and
it’s a fun rivalry!
TSL: You guys played a
“Strikeout Cancer” series last weekend, can you give me a little bit of
background on that?
CH: So we had a Strikeout Cancer last weekend
against Whittier [College]. I think the entire NCAA does it, where all the schools get
together and help raise money for cancer organizations. So at our games we
raffled off some prizes, and raised money for some local organizations, and
honored breast cancer survivors specifically at our game.
TSL: What’s the personal legacy
you want to leave at this school?
CH: As far as a personal legacy, I don’t really
care about my statistical legacy, which may seem strange. I hope my legacy is
more just who I was as a person and how that affected the program. I want
people to just remember that softball is a sport, and it’s supposed to be fun, and just that we have a great opportunity to play here in college and not
everyone gets that opportunity.
TSL: What about your most
embarrassing athletic moment?
CH: Oh, that’s easy! I was trying to steal second
base and I would’ve made it, except we were playing on a field that was really,
really hard. I didn’t need to slide but at the last second I thought I would
just in case, so I slid too close to the base and the field was so hard that
when I caught my cleat I just flipped over the base and missed it entirely and
ended up being out even though I was safe by a long way. And it was just really
embarrassing and everyone was laughing.
TSL: That sounds like a pretty
dangerous maneuver.
CH: Yeah, I have scars on my knees to prove it. They
remain to this day.
TSL: So you learned an
important lesson?
CH: Yeah, don’t slide if you don’t have to!
TSL: Who’s your biggest fan?
CH: Both my parents. They come to every game. I’m
local, so they bring my dogs too. They never miss a game. I don’t think they’ve
missed a game in four years.
TSL: What other
extracurricular beside softball are you involved in?
CH: I’m involved with Pomona-Pitzer Christian
Fellowship. So, I’m a Bible study leader. And also through that, I started the Women’s Ministry this year.
TSL: Women’s Ministry?
CH: Well, it’s pretty low-key. I organize an
opportunity for women to connect with other like-minded people. So I put them
in the groups and they meet once a week with each other. The point of the
groups is to be across culture and year. So seniors might be with freshmen,
sophomores, different cultures and different backgrounds. So the idea is to be
able to bond together and also learn from diversity.
TSL: What’s your major and what
was your thesis about?
CH: I’m a history major. My thesis was about the
Kindertransport. The Kindertransport was a movement in 1938-1939 to rescue
German Jewish children from the Third Reich in Nazi Germany, Austria, and
Czechoslovakia … My thesis is studying their assimilation into British society.
TSL: How did it feel to turn it
in?
CH: Terrifying! It was really scary because I keep
having panic moments that I forgot something or needed something else.
TSL: All right, now that we kind of moved off the softball track, what’s your favorite TV show and what character do you identify with the most?
CH: Well, I love The Office, and I think I identify with Pam.
TSL: What about your least favorite dining hall?
CH: I don’t like Oldenborg. It stresses me out. I’m not good enough at any other language to feel comfortable at any of the tables.
TSL: Plans for after college or
for next year?
CH: I’m going to take next year off school-wise.
Eventually, I’m going to be applying to journalism school to hopefully focus on
documentary filmmaking.