Brockton Enterprise: The Right Move 

Kate Brides had 102 hits in three seasons for Stonehill

By Jim Fenton, Brockton Enterprise Staff Writer

EASTON - Her college softball career was all about making adjustments.

Kate Brides of West Bridgewater had to adjust to a new school after transferring from Wheaton College to Stonehill College following her freshman year.

The former three-sport athlete at West Bridgewater also had to adjust to a new position, making the switch from pitcher in high school to center fielder in college.

Brides made smooth transitions in each case, moving right into the starting lineup at Stonehill as a sophomore in 2007. She developed into a reliable outfielder who rarely made an error and was the Skyhawks' leading hitter this season.

"I am so happy with the way things turned out,'' said Brides, who played her final game last Sunday. "I'm definitely happy I made the transfer here. The people here are just absolutely amazing. The friendships that I formed here, I couldn't have asked for better teammates.''

The 2005 West Bridgewater graduate, who is a psychology major with a business minor, did not last a full season at Wheaton, but she found happiness at Stonehill.

Brides appeared in 17 games, making 14 starts and getting seven hits in her freshman season at the Norton school before leaving the team.

"It just wasn't the right match for me,'' said Brides. "I quit because there was turmoil on the team. I knew I wanted to transfer immediately so I could go and play somewhere else.''

Brides quickly decided on Stonehill, where her sister, Sarah, had been on the equestrian team and her father, Gary, worked.

She started 31 games as a sophomore in '07, batting .267 with six doubles and three triples. As a junior, Brides started 42 of the Skyhawks' 43 games and had 34 hits, including six doubles.

This season, Brides was Stonehill's most consistent hitter, batting .328 with 45 hits (nine double, three triples) in 40 games. She finished a three-year career at the Easton school with 102 hits.

"She was fantastic at the plate from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,'' said Stonehill coach Danielle Delude, whose team missed the Northeast-10 Conference tournament by one game. "She put in a ton of work and is incredibly strong.

"She was a good player when she got her, and she just got better and better every single year.''

Brides, who moved into the No. 3 spot in the Stonehill lineup this season, raised her average by 74 points as a senior.

"I think it was just my mentality that I had going into the year,'' said Brides. "I just knew it was my last year of playing softball and I wanted to give it my all.

"I worked very hard in the offseason with my father (a former West Bridgewater coach). I just wanted to come out and give it my best and it ended up paying off for me.

"I did a lot of running (in the offseason), and my dad would soft-toss the ball couple of hours a day, hit me balls in the outfield. My dad has been my biggest mentor, on and off the field. He's just an amazing coach and an amazing father.''

Brides made just two errors in 49 chances as a sophomore, no errors in 61 chances as a junior and one error in 55 attempts this season.

A pitcher since playing youth softball, Brides missed being in the circle during her four years of college, but there was a bright side to the switch.

"I worked my whole life as a pitcher,'' said Brides, who was on two state title teams at West Bridgewater. "Oh, yes, I missed it. Pitching is definitely where my heart is.

"But in the hindsight of it, I think it was actually beneficial that I didn't pitch because pitchers don't hit, at least at Stonehill, and I got to play every single game as opposed to one in three games.''

There were little worries about center field in the three seasons that Brides was manning the position.

"She did very good for someone who had never played there,'' said Delude. "She had the range where she could cover from right field to left field. She's gotten a lot better and worked very hard at it.''

Said Brides: "I would say I got a lot better. My first year, I didn't really know how to dive in the outfielder's slide and my coaches ended up teaching me. It helped that I was quick and it made it easier for me to get to the ball.'' Brides envisions herself playing softball in recreation leagues now that her collegiate career is over.

She adapted to changes during the four years after graduating from West Bridgewater, becoming a key player at Stonehill the past three seasons.

"I actually felt more at home here and very comfortable with the girls,'' said Brides. "I think I adapted pretty well. People on the team just made my transfer very easy, so I felt at home and it wasn't a big adjustment.''