A Chat With Softball Players Anna Smith and Stacy Roth – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 1999
Columbus, Ohio – A freshman year is always the toughest in college. It is filled with constant change and daily challenges. OSU freshmen Anna Smith and Stacy Roth talked about life as freshman and as Buckeyes
Q: What has been the most difficult thing about adjusting to college life?
Anna Smith: The amount of time school and softball takes up. You have to learn really fast how to balance things or before you know it, you’ve fallen behind. I also had to get used to not seeing my parents at every game. That was really hard. Since I was a kid, they’ve been there for everything.
Q: So you must be really happy to see your mother in town this week?
AS: I’m glad I get to spend some time with her and I’m glad she will be able to see me play. And she can take me shopping.
Q: Coming from California, did you enjoy your first winter?
AS: It was freezing. I learned not to go outside when it’s freezing.
Q: What do you need to improve to walk away with a good freshman year?
AS: My hitting. I still need to put it all together. But I know it will come to me one step at a time.
Q: Because of injuries, you were forced to play some second base. What do you like better, the infield or the outfield.
AS: I can’t answer this question. If I say infield, (assistant coach) Drema (Neal) will be mad at me and if I say outfield, the infielders will be mad at me. Let’s just say I like both.
Q: Can you point to someone on the team who has really helped you along this year?
AS: I would have to say Renae Weigel. Although she talks a lot of trash to me, she has really been a good example of how to balance academics, athletics and still have a good time.
Q: What’s the biggest difference between college softball and high school?
Stacy Roth: The love of the game. In high school and summer ball, people have a tendency to just play for recognition. At this level, we have people who go to practice early, stay late, and show a true love for the game.
Q: How have you handled the transition to college life?
SR: Better than I expected. The classes are manageable and I actually had a good amount of free time.
Q: In high school, you won the state championship in basketball. What did you learn from that experience?
SR: It helped me raise my game to that level of competition. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to win the championship. An experience like that helps you forever.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be Buckeye?
SR: Actually, when I was a sophomore, we played Coldwater in basketball and someone told me that Renae Weigel was coming here to play softball. That was honestly the first time I ever thought about playing college softball. They ended up beating us in that game but I didn’t guard Renae.
Q: What do you need to accomplish the rest of this season to have what you would consider a good freshman year?
SR: I need to be more consistent. There are times when I’m up and down. I just need to be up all the time. Especially when I’m at the plate.
