On a team that has struggled with consistency this season, one constant for the Lady Colonel softball team has been the play of junior outfielder Julie Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a 5-4 native of Clute, Texas, leads Nicholls with a .279 batting average and has started in 51 of 52 games, while stealing 10 bases and being tagged out just twice.
“Julie has brought consistency from the plate to us this season,” Lady Colonel head coach Pattie Holthaus said.
“We try to instill that (consistency) into all of our players and Julie has done a good job with it.”
Rodriguez came to the Lady Colonels (20-32 overall and 4-20 in the Southland Conference) after two years at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla.
“When (former Lady Colonel assistant coach) Tina (Kramos) was here she came and looked at me, and asked me to come for a visit,” Rodriguez said. “So that’s how I ended up here.”
While at Okaloosa-Walton, Rodriguez was a two-time letter winner, while her team won Panhandle Conference titles both seasons.
She was a first-team All-Conference and Second Team All-Florida pick, her sophomore season and a Second Team All-Panhandle Conference selection her freshman year.
Rodriguez, who turned 21 Sunday, said she has enjoyed her time at Nicholls so far, but being on the losing end of a number of close games has been tough.
“I have had fun here so far,” Rodriguez said. “But it (losing close games) gets to us. Sometimes we don’t understand why we aren’t winning. The whole situation really lowers your confidence level.”
Despite tough times on the field, Rodriguez said she likes the culture of South Louisiana.
“I like the way people talk here,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really different from Texas and Florida, with the food and people and everything. The people I have met are so nice and accepting. They just bring you into their homes.”
With one SLC series left this weekend at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rodriguez said she hopes the team ends the year on a positive.
“We just want to go out there, play our hardest and end the season on a good note,” Rodriguez said.
While Rodriguez has been a quiet leader for the Lady Colonels this season, Holthaus is looking for more from the lefty next year.
“Julie has led by example for us this season, but I look for her to be more of a vocal leader next year,” Holthaus said.
When Rodriguez is done playing softball, she said she would like to coach the game at high school level.
