It’s not softball weather up in New England just yet, but one Halifax native has already been dominant on the diamond for the Bridgewater State softball team.
Shannon Grindle stood out for the Division 3 Bears during their trip to Florida earlier in the month and was recognized for her achievement. The week of March 12, she was named the MASCAC (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) Player of the Week.
The sophomore, who is listed as a first baseman and third baseman, earned the award because she tore the cover off the ball during her team’s trip down south. She played in eight of the team’s ten games and collected 13 hits in 25 at-bats, good for a .520 batting average. Not only that, but she belted three home runs, two doubles, knocked in 11 runs and drew four walks. That said, she posted a .586 on-base percentage and .960 slugging percentage in that span.
Grindle’s bat has been a major lift for an otherwise subpar start for Bridgewater State. They went 3-7 on their road trip despite that huge performance from Grindle.
That said, they likely would not have had that many wins if they did not have the excellent performance Grindle gave the team. It is also worth noting at the start of this week, Grindle led the conference in RBI (11) and home runs (3).
Grindle was also a regular in Bridgewater State’s lineup last season and among their top hitters. She finished 2017 with a .364 batting average, two home runs, 10 doubles and 34 runs driven in and a .410 on-base percentage.
At Bridgewater State, Grindle is also teammates with her former high school teammate, freshman infielder Alexandra Ruprecht, who is from Kingston.
Bridgewater State has not played any games since March 8 because of several postponements. Their next scheduled games are a doubleheader at Rhode Island College on Tuesday, Mar. 27, weather permitting.