Whether it's hitting a grand slam with two outs in the seventh inning or drawing a walk to give your team the lead, the play of freshman designated hitter Jennifer Gilbert has been clutch for Ball State all season long.
Years before Gilbert put on a Ball State uniform, she was a kindergartner finding out about the game of softball.
"I was in my kindergarten class, and our teacher passed out these flyers for softball tryouts," Gilbert said. "I put mine in my folder and when I got home my mom went through my backpack and found it. She asked me if I wanted to tryout, and I was like I don't know if I'd have fun."
Gilbert said her mom told her to tryout, and she ended up playing for recreation for the next two years.
After her little league days, Gilbert went on to play softball for her high school softball team. She said playing softball in high school is a lot like playing in college.
"Playing ball in college is similar," Gilbert said. "We have amazing fans, we play with amazing people and we definitely travel a lot. I would say a difference between college and high school ball is that college is a lot more serious. You have players that want to be there practicing everyday and playing games every weekend."
The next step for the young slugger was deciding where to go to college to play softball. Gilbert said after asking some of the Ball State coaching staff to come watch her play, she went to visit the campus and fell in love instantly.
"Once I got to the campus, I loved it," Gilbert said. "The environment was nice, and I liked the way things were all around. They had a very successful softball program, I liked the coaching staff and they had exactly what I wanted to study. It was a perfect fit."
Gilbert's stats this season show she made the right decision.
For the season, Gilbert is hitting .322 with eight home runs and a team-leading 40 RBIs.
Senior right fielder Alyssa Collins said what impresses her the most about Gilbert is her consistency and work ethic.
"For a freshman, Jenny has played pretty consistently all year," Collins said. "She has proved herself that she is a player in our line-up that we can count on in almost every situation. She works hard and always expects the best of herself."
Collins said seeing a player like Gilbert succeed so fast is great for the future of Ball State softball.
"As a senior, it makes me feel confident in the future of Ball State softball," she said. "It lets me know that once I leave, there will be someone there to pick up right where I left off."
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