First-Year Hits and Fields Her Way to Rookie of the Year
by Tony Moore
When you try out for softball during your first year of high school and don’t even make the junior varsity team, you probably wouldn’t think that in four short years you’ll not only be a starting college player but also earning an impressive accolade. But that’s exactly what happened to Jane Lloyd ’26, who recently became the second Red Devils softball player to be named Centennial Conference (CC) Rookie of the Year.
“I was shocked that I was the recipient of this award,” says Lloyd, who played 37 games and started 36 in her first year at Dickinson. “There were so many great first-year players, including several on our team. I’m very grateful, and I wouldn’t have gotten this award without the support of my teammates and my coaches giving me the opportunity to be so successful.”
Lloyd led the team in batting average (.369) and runs scored (38), while adding 15 RBIs, four doubles and three triples. She stole 16 bases and held a .987 fielding percentage. She had 11 multihit games, including a 5-for-7 day against Elizabethtown on March 28 with four runs scored, three RBIs and a pair of doubles.
The team clearly benefited from Lloyd’s play, finishing the season 23-13 (12-4 in CC matchups) and securing the second seed in the CC tournament. The Red Devils had four players named All-CC, with Lloyd receiving honorable mention. And sharing the success on the diamond—and making connections off the field—made it that much sweeter.
“Our team culture this year was amazing, and I give a lot of credit to our seniors who were so welcoming to the freshmen and allowed us to express ourselves and not hold back,” Lloyd says. “Whether it was getting ice cream as a team or just spending time together outside of softball, it really helped us bond.”
When you’re the rookie of the year, it’s clear the season was filled with highlights. But what stands out to Lloyd are the times the team fought through adversity for the big wins, such as beating No. 23 Central with just 10 players—a roster decimated by a stomach virus—and several late-game rallies for wins, which she calls “very stressful but a ton of fun.”
And after such a great season, what’s left to do but look forward to 2024?
“I’m very excited for next season,” Lloyd says, noting that she’ll declare a biochemistry & molecular biology major as a sophomore. “I think this year we got back to the team that we want to be, competing to be the conference champion. Next year we have all the tools and some needed experience to go out and win the whole thing.”
Read more from the summer 2023 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
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Published August 21, 2023