Samantha Stevenson came all the way from California to attend Norfolk State University and play softball for the Spartans.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference recently named Stevenson a conference-wide Rookie of the Week on the tail of a complete-game shutout in the series finale against North Carolina Central University.
She Scored Sports recently spoke with Stevenson about her rookie season.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
She Scored Sports: As a pitcher, how do you stay locked in and composed throughout a full game?
Samantha Stevenson: The way I stay locked in and composed throughout the whole game is just realizing that my team has my back, and no matter what happens, they're my girls at the end of the day. And there's always gonna be another game.
SSS: You're a freshman and a year with you with honors. What is this transition to the cause of open life for you?
SS: It's definitely been very different from what I had back in high school. Nothing more than a challenge and it's great to be able to be here, at least with these girls and this coach. They really keep me up and have my back the whole time.
SSS: When did you start to feel comfortable competing at this level?
SS: Honestly, since the day I got here, Coach Todd kind of told us what it was gonna be, like kept it real the whole time. And the minute I got on the field, there's a lot of expectation but a lot of reward at the same time.
SSS: How important was it for you to come through for your team in that moment?
SS: It was really important because we really wanted to take the series and if we would have lost that game, there would have been a lot of emotion going. So it was really important that I stepped up, locked in and got the win for everyone.
SSS: What is your preparation look like leading into a game?
SS: I have one of the, probably the more unserious preparations: I gotta take a nap, read my Bible and then steal snacks out of the snack bin before I pitch.
SSS: What is the team focused on right now?
SS: We're focused on more hits, you know, winning every individual inning instead of the whole game. Right now, trying to tie up some loose ends that we have, but other than that, really just focusing inning to inning.
SSS: What do you want people to know about you as a player?
SS: I may look mean on the mount, but l'm actually really sweet.
SSS: What's something people don't see about the work that goes into being a pitcher?
SS: Definitely the mental aspect, knowing that the game is literally in your control. One wrong move and the game goes a different way.
