Athlete Spotlight: Emily Carter

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

SALEM, Mass. -- Our Athlete Spotlight features softball starting pitcher Emily Carter (Warwick, R.I.). Carter became the fourth pitcher in Salem State softball history to reach the 200-strikeout plateau since 2009 with a 2-0 shutout victory over Lesley at Alumni Field on Thursday May 2.

Carter shared her thoughts on the significance of achieving this milestone, and discussed what it means to her personally. "This accomplishment means a lot to me because I have been searching for a way to leave an official mark on Salem State softball history. Now, I feel like I've done that. I always knew in the back of my mind this season that it was a real possibility [200 strikeouts], but over the last two weeks, it really started to come to fruition and something we discussed a lot."

The senior shared insights about her various pitching techniques. She discussed the degree of each pitch and elaborated on which one she feels most at ease throwing. "I throw four pitches confidently (fastball, changeup, curveball, and screwball). My changeup is my go-to pitch and I have been throwing the same one since I started playing. My screwball, I just learned before my sophomore year and quickly became my favorite. Not a lot of people can hit it and it has become a huge part of my success against good hitting teams."

"The trust and communication between my catcher and me is key to having great outings. When Coach Dana and Tiana, Payton or Belle and myself are all on the same page communicating, it really shows in the way the game is going and the importance of being honest with each other."

Her favorite memory of the season is when Salem State defeated Framingham State in the first game of a doubleheader, 3-2 on Patriots Day at Alumni Field. "My favorite memory from this season is beating Framingham for the first time in my career and being the one who could do that for my team is a huge honor." She also added the importance of making the postseason after falling short last season. "Making it to the postseason is incredibly important to me and everyone else. Winning is the expectation and I hope we do it all."

For the past 14 years, she has been passionately devoted to playing softball. She reminisced about the time when it seemed like a genuine possibility for her to take her skills to the next level and play at a collegiate level. "Once I got to high school, the expectation was for everyone on the team to work towards playing in college. My teammates growing up were and are the most hard working and passionate people I've ever met and they inspired me to take the next step."

Carter talked about how proud she is of this group of teammates. "I am very proud of my teammates and how things have come together as a young group. The younger girls on this team, Frosty, Sam, Paige etc. have all filled huge roles on this team and stepped up in so many ways to provide us with the successes we have had so far." 

The senior who is majoring in Psychology shared her thoughts on the new coaching staff. "Hands down this coaching staff is the best I have had at Salem State. Ryan is a great coach with a lot of great knowledge about the game. He has a fighting spirit that has translated to this team a lot and pushed us to play and fight until the end. Maddie, Becca, and Tianna were the best people he could have found to fulfill the assistant positions. They truly embody what it means to be a great leader, player, teammate and now coach. They have made this program and this year into the best one I have ever had at Salem State out of the four coaching staffs I've been through during my four years here. I can't thank them enough for being a bright light on this team and they will make this program outstanding soon enough."

Carter expressed how much she learned throughout the past four years since her freshmen year. "I think I have grown a ton personally over the last four years. When I first started here it was a culture shock and took a lot of adjustment to my attitude. Since becoming a captain in 2022 I have done a lot of great reflecting about the kind of leader and teammate I want to be. Being a leader on this team pushed me to be the best person I can be currently, and taught me a lot about how to approach life not only now, but also in the future."

She mentioned her go-to meal before a game. "My go to meal is a homemade burrito! I make a chicken burrito with rice and cheese at home and will usually bring it to the field with me."

She compared the differences between her off-season and in-season routines. "My routine in the off-season is to put on as much muscle as possible. I work out and lift heavy five times a week on top of doing pitching lessons once a week back home. A goal is to push myself to my physical limits to put myself in the best position during the season and pitching complete games. I have learned a lot about nutrition and taking care of my body over the last few years and I pride myself on being a hard worker for not only myself, but teammates as well. During the season I continue to lift about three times a week until games start in the beginning of March. From there is slows down a lot for me as pitching takes a huge toll on my body and I like to have a lot of rest days."

The senior talked about her playlist and what she likes to do during her free time. "I listen to a bit of everything I love classic rock and 00's pop as well as country. It pretty much depends on what I'm in the mood for that day. In my free time I like to go to the gym or hang out with my roommates Emily and Josie." 

She talked about the people that influenced her in her life. "I have had a lot of great people in my life, especially softball wise. My parents have been there and put their lives on hold at some points so I could fulfill my dreams and I can't thank them enough."

Carter, who is going to Merrimack College in the fall for her master's degree in Counseling Psychology, mentioned her dream vacation and some interesting facts about her. "My dream vacation is Spain. Some interesting facts about me is I can play the piano pretty well and I played in the Little League Softball World Series three years in a row and got the opportunity to play on ESPN for the semi's and world championship in 2015."

She described what will be her perfect journey for her. "My perfect journey would have to be the one I've taken with softball. From the beginning, softball has been a roller coaster, meeting new people, first heartbreaks, but also the feeling of accomplishment in the end. Having something that I can put my blood, sweat, and tears into with likeminded people who want to do everything possible to reach goals. The ups and downs of softball have been my favorite to live through."

Carter and the Vikings will host a MASCAC Quarterfinal game when they take on Bridgewater State on Wednesday May 8. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Alumni Field.