Erica Sobel

Female Player  - Presented by Lori Beaudoin

Erica has had a lot of success over her long 31 year career in Softball. She has led her teams with enthusiasm and her hustle both on the field and in the base paths. She has played for some of the most successful Women’s teams in New England including Twisted Sistahs, Fair Warning, Angry Beavers, PAV, Joey’s CPA and Swingers.

Most of Erica’s childhood memories are of playing catch with her father in the backyard. They spent many afternoons there with her dad throwing pop ups over her head until his arm was ready to fall off. She attributes her hustle and ability to her dad. He instilled in her the need of practicing over and over until it became routine. She never wanted to let her dad down. He would tell her “the next one you drop, I’m going in”, but she kept catching them until they were both very tired.

Erica’s list of individual awards:

• 2011 All-Tournament Team-Mother’s Day Madness Tournament
• 2012 All-Tournament Team-Lil Rhody Labor Day Summer Slam
• 2012 All-Tournament Team-Go Daddy Show Daddy Tournament
• 2013 Co-MVP-Compete for a Cure Tournament
• 2013 MVP-Massachusetts State Tournament
• 2014 Offensive MVP–Massachusetts State Tournament
• 2015 Defensive MVP USSSA Women’s “C” World Tournament

Erica said her favorite moment in Softball was at the 2015 Women’s “C” World Tournament. She was having an off-day with the bat, but, she made a defensive gem that she describes: Playing against Shebang’s from Maryland, the game was going back and forth the entire way. I didn’t do much at the plate to help my team and I knew I had to step up in another area. I was determined to make every play that came to me at shortstop. The 7thinning comes around and they have the tying run on second with two outs. One of their girls hits a ball into no man’s land behind short. She darted back, knowing she was the only one who could make the catch since the outfield was playing deep, or the game would be tied up. She reached out and made an over the shoulder catch preserving the game and allowing her team to move on in the tournament. All that time practicing with her dad in the backyard finally paid off and the dream lived on.

“I owe a lot to the game of softball. I’ve basically been playing for the majority of my life and it has offered me opportunities to meet some special people, travel the world and compete in a sport I love. Once I ended my fast pitch career, I never thought that my softball career would continue as it has. USSSA has afforded me the opportunity to continue to play a sport I adore and meet more special people and travel to more places. So, my opinion of USSSA is a very high one. I wouldn’t be who I am today without this sport."