Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Freshman pitcher Lexi Kobryn was named Big East Freshman of the Week after pitching two complete game shutouts.
As Villanova softball continues to challenge itself against top-25 teams each weekend in preparation for Big East competition, players have started getting comfortable in the discomfort of adversity and seized the opportunity to shine.
One of the most surprising of these players is freshman pitcher Lexi Kobryn, who last week earned Big East Pitcher and Big East Freshman of the week.
Kobryn delivered two complete game shutouts at the Joan Joyce Classic in Florida. The right-hander led the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over No. 25 Florida Atlantic, and a 3-0 win against Dartmouth in a two-hit game.
“[Kobryn] was getting ahead of batters, attacking them, controlling the zone,” head coach Bridget Orchard said. “She has a lot of movement on her pitches so she was able to throw out different types to different batters. To throw a whole seven innings is hard because the batters see you two, three, four times so you have to reinvent yourself when you’re out there.”
Kobryn brings the poise of an experienced player to her performances in the circle in her debut college season.
“I think having confidence in my pitches and my skills, knowing that I’m better than whoever’s up at bat and that they’re not going to beat me really helps,” Kobryn said. “I also have confidence in the defense behind me, knowing that I don’t have to strike everyone out. I know my team is going to make amazing plays for me, just like they have been.”
The New Jersey native is an alumna of the Hun School in Princeton, yet has been on Villanova’s radar for a long time. She committed to Villanova in the fall of her senior year, in November of 2023.
“[Kobryn] was always a high-level, elite pitcher,” Orchard said. “We watched her pitch a lot, probably since her freshman, sophomore year of high school. She had size, talent and a ton of mobility. She can pitch, hit and play the field. So she stood out right away and she’s a highly academic kid as well.”
Kobryn has wasted no time in becoming part of Villanova’s pitching rotation each weekend, as Orchard tries to fill the gaps left from the seniors of last year’s Big East Championship team.
“[Kobryn] knew we were graduating Caroline Pellicano and Alyssa Seidler, so she had big shoes to fill,” Orchard said. “I think that’s what excited her about it. She was going to come in and have the opportunity to compete and play right away, being asked to fill that role.”
Despite the team’s four losses at Clemson over the weekend, the final scores were not indicative of Kobryn’s success as she continued to deny runs up until the last day.
“It means a lot to me that [the coaches] have so much confidence in me,” Kobryn said. “It allows me to feel comfortable on the mound. It’s what I dreamed of my whole life, to be able to play softball at this level and to carry such a big role on a team full of so much talent.”
In the first loss to Clemson on Friday, Kobryn was met with an unlucky break as the ‘Cats could not score, forcing an eighth inning in which the offense gets to put a man on second to start. All it took was a single for the Tigers to take the lead.
In the team’s next game, Kobryn came in and closed, finishing another game with no earned runs. By the last day, with a tired arm, Kobryn eventually wavered and gave up a grand slam to Elon.
“The biggest thing is the grind,” Orchard said. “Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t. We lost 1-0, but [Kobryn] had no earned runs. She was really doing her job. We had bad numbers on Sunday, but she knows that we are going to have ups and downs. As a pitcher and a freshman, she’s really mature, as far as being able to understand that. It’ll get her back working hard, but it shows it doesn’t get any easier.”
Kobryn sees the weekend in Clemson as motivation to keep working.
“I think facing adversity like this is necessary to be the best,” Kobryn said. “You can’t just be high all of the time, you’re going to need to face your failures. That helps you know what you need to work on for next time so that it doesn’ happen again. I’m taking this weekend as my time to reflect on myself and see what I need to do so I can be 10 times better for this upcoming weekend.”