| Year: | 2016 |
| Team: | Softball |
Put together the greatest, all-time lineup card representing Suffolk University softball, and Erin (Pagel) Carey would be one of the first names penciled in.
In the circle, in the field, or running the bases, Carey was a do-it-all performer throughout her brilliant four-year career on the diamond. She was a four-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference selection, and a two-time New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) All-Region All-Star.
As a sophomore in 2003, Carey, a righty pitcher and lefty hitter, batted .379, posted a 16-7 record on the mound, and stole 46 bases in as many attempts. She was named the GNAC Player of the Year and an ECAC All-Star.
In the circle, Carey completed her career with a record of 48-33, the most wins in program history. She also holds the all-time record for most strikeouts (551), K’s per game (10.04), innings pitched (494), and appearances (96). Her 1.54 ERA in 2004 still stands as the best ever in a single season.
When she wasn’t pitching, Carey played leftfield and was the team’s very dependable leadoff hitter. She compiled a .361 career lifetime average, mainly as a singles hitter to all fields. She finished with 184 career hits, second on the all-time list.
Once she was on base, Carey stepped up her game to another level. In four seasons, she stole 176 bases, becoming the all-time NCAA Division III leader in that particular category. In her junior campaign, she was a perfect 49-49 in stolen bases (most in a season). She scored 151 runs in her career (second all-time), 45 of them in her third year (second most in a season).
“Participating in college athletics taught me about interacting with people, time management, self-confidence, and setting goals for myself,” said Carey, who led the Rams to three consecutive winning seasons. “You learn so much more than the game.”
Carey was such a well-rounded individual that she received the prestigious Charles Law Outstanding Student Athlete Award not once, but twice – in 2004 and 2005.
Carey is a nurse at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. She and her husband, Tom, a former star player on the men’s basketball team at Suffolk, live in Braintree with their two children – Kathleen, 3, and Thomas, 1.