The 2017 Rams Reflect is the second in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of Suffolk teams have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Suffolk.
For a complete listing of past and present Rams’ Reflections, click here.
Lindsay Pagano, Softball | Hometown: Wyckoff, N.J. | Psychology
Dear Coach Davis,
Who would have thought four years would fly by so quickly? I remember sitting in your office on my recruit visit chatting with you and my dad about the program. At that moment I did not imagine how one coach could leave such a lasting impact. I wanted to write this letter to thank you for all that you have done not only for myself, but also for the Suffolk Softball program these past four years.
Being the sole player from your first recruiting class, not to mention your first ever recruit on campus, I have seen the stages that this program has gone through. You have created a program that is a family, not just a group of girls playing a sport together. Your selflessness and constant commitment to fostering an environment that allows players to develop on the field and off the field has not gone unnoticed. What coach do you know has a couch in her office for her players or a tray full of snacks? You always joke about taking care of us like your children, yet you do. I’ve seen players come to you for things so far removed from softball and you are there to comfort them and help in any way possible.
Any request asked of you is pursued to the furthest extent that you can. Whether that entails contacting everyone you know from your old teammates to staff members at Suffolk to alumni or emailing every third party to get the answer that you need. You always have our backs no matter what. I can recall times in my early years here where I knew that I wanted to be a leader on this team, yet I wasn’t sure as to how or if I was even ready for it. You empowered me to realize that I have the potential to be a leader and your trust in my abilities allowed me to realize my potential and become a captain to this season’s team. I know that many girls can echo my feelings and back me up when I say that you allow people to grow and become mature young women both on and off the field.
For those of you in the program now or potentially looking to play under Coach Davis I give you a few words of advice: trust her. Trust the process. Trust that she has your back. There are times where you may be sitting there wondering why you are doing a certain drill, why you are sitting in a room listening to a scouting report, or why you are up at five in the morning trudging through the snow to workout. All of these little aspects combine to make this program bigger than solely the players on the roster. My high school coach always used to say his old players would come back and ask how “we” are doing this season, not how “you guys” are doing this season and I can say that Coach Davis has achieved this goal through the environment she created. The alumni support is outstanding and that itself is a testament to the relationships she has curated beyond the four years that you play under her.
Playing a college sport is a time commitment and an experience that I would have found so much less enjoyable if it were not for the effort Coach Davis put into the program without asking for anything in return. I think that sometimes players forget that coaches are people themselves just like you and not just decision makers about playing time and logistics. I can say to future players of Coach Davis that you are coming into a program led by a selfless, dedicated, enthusiastic, generous, and caring woman. And I hope that you all get the chance to develop the relationship that I have with her and get to know her as the wonderful coach and human that she is.
My experience in the Suffolk Softball program has been filled with ups and downs, but you were always a constant. I want to thank you for devoting the time and effort you have into shaping me in ways you could not imagine. I hope that one day I can mold and inspire players following the example that you have put forth for me. I honestly do not know how to repay you for the lessons I have learned at Suffolk, but I will do so in whatever way possible.
I hope you know that I will be one of those players coming back and saying how are “we” doing. I may be graduating, but I know that I will always be a part of this program no matter where I am in life and that I will always have someone that has my back.
Thank you so much for everything.
- Lindsay #11