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Swing for the fences with Kassandra Avila and Emily Nguyen

March 10, 2017


Kassandra Avila and Emily Nguyen sit down with Finlandia Fridays and hit on everything softball. Avila and Nguyen are both freshmen at Finlandia University and come from the Southern California area.Emily Nguyen and Kassandra Avila FinnU

Finlandia University’s softball team starts its season every year with an indoor tournament played in Marquette, Michigan, where teams around the country battle it out in an entirely indoor competition. “Starting our season indoors was difficult,” said Nguyen. “We are both from California so being outside is what we are accustomed to.” The tournament is held at the world’s largest wooden dome, located about two hours from Finlandia’s campus. The softball team managed to leave Marquette with a record of 2-2, then headed quickly back to Finlandia to pack for their spring trip to Florida.

After a quick turnaround time of only a few hours, the team was headed to Florida. Emily Nguyen notes, “We started to come together as a team in Florida, not just as friends but as an actual team.” The trip didn’t start as planned as the team dropped the first three games. The Lions quickly responded winning the next three straight, and outscoring their opponents 32-8. Leaving Florida with a cumulative record of 8 wins and 6 losses.

Avila, a pitcher, accomplished something rarely seen in softball at the collegiate level. Facing opponent Mount Ida College she not only shut them out, but she did not allow a single hit against. The term “no-hitter” as coined in both softball and baseball is of the utmost rarity and marks the first no-hitter at Finlandia since 2011.

Both Avila and Nguyen touch on their experience at Finlandia University as freshmen. Living in the dorms allowed them to get to know everyone better and find the campus to be a tight knit community. “If there is ever a need for something it is almost always just two doors down,” said Nguyen.

Upcoming Games

Finlandia University’s softball team plays in West St. Paul, Minnesota next week in the Cobber Classic. They look to take down Concordia University, Bethany Lutheran and Northland College at the tournament. See the team’s full schedule and stats at fulions.com.

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