The Eleanor Roosevelt High School softball team holds an impressive record of 17 wins and 1 tie. On Tuesday May 6th, the team faced off against Oxon Hill and came out on top winning 4-1. Just days earlier on May 2nd they celebrated Senior Night, an emotional and monumental moment, as it celebrates moving on to a new chapter in life whether you want to play your sport in college or not. That evening, Roosevelt hosted Suitland High, successfully securing a 12-1 win. All eight seniors started in the game, and #6 Bree Mulikin set the tone early with the teams first home run.
Although the evening was extremely successful it nearly didn’t happen. A storm passed over Greenbelt briefly beforehand, postponing the game about 40 minutes and as a result threatening the game and senior night. Junior Claudia Vanderhave shared that the rain was disheartening, she added that “we [the underclassmen] took a lot of time setting it up [posters, baskets, decorations etc].” Despite the weather she added “…it ended up being okay and they played so awesome.”
Three of the eight seniors were interviewed prior to the game, and all three plan on playing softball in college and have athletic scholarships. Senior Desire Fuller offered advice for younger players looking to do the same: “Get your film, and talk to coaches, don’t be scared, and be brave.” This is a shared sentiment among the players. Fellow senior Nicole Lila in addition urges students not to wait until the last minute to get into the recruiting process.
Beyond the excitement for senior night and future plans, the game was also a moment of reflection. Senior Nicole Lilas favorite highlight of this season was “spring break games where I [she] got to see how high of a level their team plays at” From my own perspective, having seen the game firsthand, the team is undeniably talented. However, Coach Fuller acknowledges the challenge ahead, with eight seniors graduating they are “losing a whole lot” Still, the coach remains optimistic about the team’s ability to get back especially after falling short in the state championship.
Losing a core group of the team will be challenging to get back from, but there is no doubt that the upcoming lineup for the 2026 varsity team is promising. There’s no doubt that ERHS softball has a bright future and others like myself are excited to see what’s next.
