For most seniors, spring is a time to take it easy with graduation approaching in a few weeks and classes coming to an end, but for Nicole Bohnenstiehl this is a time to step up for the Saint Louis University softball team. Two weeks ago she received the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week award for the second week in a row.
“It is always nice to get that honor. There are a lot of great pitchers in the conference,” Bohnenstiehl said. “It’s exciting, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
The award was given for the week ending March 30. Bohnenstiehl started that week off with a four-hit shutout against No. 9 DePaul. This was the first win for the Billikens over a nationally ranked team. On Saturday, she had nine strikeouts in a 3-0 victory over UAB and on Sunday she closed out the week with a one-hitter against UAB, adding another win to her list. During the week, she allowed only one earned run, while she had 31 strikeouts. She set a school record with her 15th career shutout and gained her 500th strikeout of her career. This is the fifth time she has won the award.
Bohnenstiehl is a fifth-year senior who transferred from the University of Southern Mississippi to come play at SLU. She had a couple reasons for transferring.
“My coach, who now coaches at Georgia, was leaving and some of the girls were graduating. I also wanted to go to a better school and be closer to home. Now my parents are able to come and watch me play,” Bohnenstiehl.
Bohnenstiehl’s family will have the opportunity to see their daughter in action against Southern Miss, a game for which Bohnenstiehl is physically and mentally ready.
“Last year’s game was more meaningful to me because I was playing against old teammates. This year it’s more about getting into the conference tournament and getting a good seed,” Bohnenstiehl said.
Bohnenstiehl will be graduating in the spring, but clearly remembers her favorite game while playing at SLU, beating DePaul just a few weeks ago 1-0.
“It was the most exciting game for me because the first year I was here they beat us 14-0. The second time we actually scored one, but they still won, 16-1. I came from a ranked team who had beaten them before, so it was nice to be able to win this year,” Bohnenstiehl said. “This shows how much the team has grown. People don’t understand how far we have come. We can play with every other team in the conference. Our new assistant coach, Natalie Peters, brings a lot of knowledge of the game and has helped work with the infield.”
Bohnenstiehl says she will miss her teammates and the game, but definitely not the soreness that comes with intense practice.
“I think my body is telling me that it has had enough. I’ve had three surgeries, two on my knee and one on my shoulder,” Bohnenstiehl said. Despite the injuries, she plans to spend one more summer with her summer league team, the St. Louis Saints.
She has been a leader on the SLU team. She was elected co-captain and has tried to fulfill her responsibility.
“My role on the team was that I just tried to lead by example on the field. I wanted to show senior leadership and all the seniors have helped out with the younger players who have needed help adjusting to the college game,” Bohnenstiehl said.
Her goal for the rest of the season is just to take it one game at a time and try to be in a good position for the tournament.
“We have snuck up on some teams and we will surprise them in the tournament.”
