Lyme-Old Lyme center fielder and senior captain Anna Eichholz didn’t take softball seriously until she arrived on campus and won a starting job as a freshman.
Since that day she has played left field and right field, and is currently roaming center field for the Wildcats, who are 2-1 on the young season.
Eichholz, a gymnast and cheerleader at Old Lyme, also found her way to travel softball, where she plays for the Shoreline Sting. It was there that coaches took the right-handed hitting outfielder and turned her into a slapper to use her speed as a weapon against opponents.
On Monday afternoon, at Cromwell High, Eichholz—who is attending the University of South Carolina—had a big hand in helping her team post a win.
After the game, she went Extra Innings with the CT Softball Blog, as well.
FIRST INNING: Tell us about your softball journey. How did you become a softball player?
ANNA EICHHOLZ: So, I really wasn’t serious about it at all until my freshman year. There was an opening spot in the outfield, and I really wanted to take it. We didn’t have a big team, so long story short, I ended up making the varsity.
SECOND INNING: How did you become a slapper?
AE: I was a righty actually. I throw lefty. So, everyone was like, why are you not batting lefty? I go for the Shoreline Sting and one of my coaches was like, ‘Hey, we should make you a slapper. You’re really fast.’ I worked all summer on being a slapper, and then my sophomore year I started as a slapper, and it’s been like that ever since.
THIRD INNING: How did you find your way to center field?
AE: I was not always there because we had an All-State center fielder when I was a freshman. I played left my first year and then I ended up playing right. So, it’s my first year in center field.
FOURTH INNING: How do you like it compared to the corner outfield?
AE: It’s honestly a little bit complicated because you can’t actually stand in the center. You kind of have to be either to the left or right because there’s a base and a pitcher right there. So, it’s definitely an adjustment to make. I’m definitely not as comfortable, but I’m working on it.
FIFTH INNING: Why do you wear uniform No. 2?
AE: Honestly, I just wore number two because, well, first year I was 14, which was really big—the sizes are bigger, the higher the numbers go—so number two was open and it’s been my lucky number ever since.
SIXTH INNING: What would you rather do to win a game: A walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh? Or would you rather make a spectacular diving catch to rob the other team of a game winning moment in the bottom of the seventh?
AE: Seventh? I honestly think I’d rather have a diving catch because I feel the adrenaline is so high when you’re in the outfield and then someone hits a bomb and then it’s like all the pressure is on you. So, I think it’s a little more exciting. Hits are definitely exciting, but I think a diving play would definitely make a great way to end a game.
SEVENTH INNING: Is there a go-to playlist or amp-up music that you like to listen to get yourself ready before a game?
AE: We love to listen to 2010 girls pop. So, ‘Call me Maybe’. We got some Taylor Swift in there. ‘Shake It Off.”
EIGHTH INNING: You are also a gymnast for Old Lyme. What is your favorite event to perform on?
AE: Gymnastics has helped me with my speed, for sure. I really like to perform floor because you can be really sassy and it’s all you and you get to show it off.
NINTH INNING: What is something that none of your teammates know about you?
AE: I feel like none of my teammates knew that I used to suck my thumb until I was like nine. Very embarrassed about it, but nobody knows that. I don’t like to tell people that, but that’s life, right?
TENTH INNING: Hollywood is making a movie of your life. What’s the title? Who stars as you?
AE: The title would probably be ‘The Story of Wheels’ because I’m pretty fast and I don’t know any actors, so I have no idea who would play me in it.
ELEVENTH INNING: You’re going home later tonight. What’s the perfect home cooked meal for you and who’s cooking it? Mom or dad?
AE: Definitely, my mom. It would definitely be penne vodka pasta, for sure. Got to get some carbs back in me after a nice game.
TWELFTH INNING: What was the last book you read that wasn’t for school and give us a one-sentence review?
AE: The last book I read that wasn’t for school was probably ‘The Silent Patient’ (by Alex Michaelides). It was really good. There was a plot twist at the end. It was kind of like a horror thriller. I’m not going to spoil it. It’s something that you would never expect happens at the end.
THIRTEENTH INNING: What one word best describes Anna Eichholz?
AE: I think positivity for sure.
Love Stories Like This?
Get Connecticut’s best softball features, breaking news, recruiting updates and exclusive interviews delivered to your inbox every Friday morning. Subscribe to the CT Softball Blog Weekly.
Leave a Reply