The Morningside softball team is filled with an array of players, personalities, and stories; I had the chance to interview one of these players and this is what I learned. Carlie Benes is a Senior at Morningside University majoring in Marketing with a minor in Business Administration. Twenty-one years ago, Carlie was born in the small town of Valparaiso, Nebraska and played softball for the first time at a young age. But this was only the beginning, as Carlie continues to play softball today.
Carlie’s collegiate career did not start at Morningside though, her path included a stop at two schools before landing at Morningside. Starting her secondary education, Carlie enrolled at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to St. Francis in Illinois and finally making her way to Morningside University. When asked about why she transferred Carlie said, “St. Francis just didn’t feel like a good fit for me” and later mentioned that Morningside, “felt like home”. Also, Carlie attributes the transfer to the variety of opportunities at Morningside, academic and athletic.
One of those golden opportunities Carlie saw was the chance to be on the Morningside girl’s softball team. Even though Carlie is positioned as an outfielder on the roster, she does something special to improve her game on the offensive side as well. Slap hitting is when a left handed hitter turns and runs towards first base straight through the end of their swing. Carlie attested that this is a relatively unique style, especially considering she throws the ball with her right hand. Due to the Covid year, Carlie still has two more years of eligibility and hopes to finish her time with the team strong.
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