Softball Captain Taylor Mikolajczak ’25 Breaks Program Hits Record

Annika Dyczkowski ’25

Executive Sports Editor

While on a business trip in Waterville, Maine, Bantam softball player Taylor Mikolajczak ’25 stepped up to the plate and made program history. In the team’s second game against the Colby College Mules, Mikolajczak broke a record which stood for 13 years, surpassing 162 hits to take the crown for this record. 

“I knew I was close [to breaking the record] at the beginning of this year. I knew I needed 24 hits, which was easy to remember since that’s my [jersey] number.” The senior shortstop shared that this record was not something she obsessed over, but she coincidentally managed to check her progress on breaking the record just prior to breaking it. “I just happened to look at it after the Bates games and I wish I didn’t because I was one away.” She laughed, “I thought, why did I have to check it when I was one away?”

Not long before this moment, Mikolajczak was placed on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2025 Division III Players and Pitchers watchlist. Mikolajczak leads her team and her conference in hits (171), total bases (76), batting average (.482), stolen bases (21), OPS (1.092), and on-base percentage (.503). 

Mikolajczak, a neuroscience major from Johns Creek, Georgia,  said she chose Trinity because of the team atmosphere and the school’s dedication to its athletics. “I had really good conversations with the coaches I committed under and previous players made me feel like there was a really good atmosphere on the team, so that was really encouraging.” She continued, comparing the advantage of Trinity athletics to other campuses, “It looked like the field was in the middle of campus, but at a lot of other places it’s off to the side,” she said. Coming into her first-year season, Mikolajczak set goals for herself- one of which was the hits record. One takeaway? Setting goals works. “I knew before coming here that I wanted to break the hits record and the steals record. Now, I’ve broken both of them, which is really cool.” 

Mikolajczak attributed her individual success to the support she felt from the coaching staff. “I think it’s really important that I have coaches that have trusted me since I was a freshman and let me struggle, I think that really allowed me to get that many chances because I don’t think a lot of people get that,” she stated. In addition to trusting her potential, her coaches’ celebration is a testament to the team’s coach-player relationship. “It wasn’t the best hit, but it was a really good moment because my coaches told everyone. They kept it a secret and then everyone was celebrating once it happened.”

Being happy for your teammates is the foundation of a strong team culture, which Mikolajczak asserted is true for the Bantams. “One thing that we’re the best at and I’ve never had a question of is that everyone is team first. We lift each other up and celebrate our accomplishments on and off the field, so everyone’s super close.” The Bantams have been competing in the regular season without two of their strongest pitchers, but this is where team values shine the brightest, Mikolajczak affirmed. “It’s definitely been interesting, it’s not what I expected for my senior season but we’re making it work the best we can,” she said. 

“It’s all about just supporting the girls that have stepped up to pitch in place of our injured pitchers. We motivate one another to play for each other and acknowledge that it was really selfless of the girls that stepped up to do what they did,” she continued. In terms of the team’s performance this season, Mikolajczak said consistency is key. “We’ve been doing amazing offensively, we’ve been putting up some of the most runs we ever have in games. I think it’s just about controlling the things we can control and playing for our pitchers right now.”

In addition to having the right mindset as a team, Mikolajczak asserted that the Bantams are moving in the right direction. “Everyone’s been producing in the lineup and we’ve been stringing a lot of hits together, which is really cool to see. Our energy is super high, our dugout is so loud and we have all these fun cheers that we do.” She continued, “Our defense is also really strong, we’ve had some ESPN highlight reels recently, with players diving left and right to make the catch.”

The next Bantam home games are this Wednesday, April 16 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. versus Babson College. Additionally, the Bantams are home Friday, April 18 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. versus Tufts University.