A year ago, the Hofstra University softball pitching staff was completely different. Julia Apsel dominated in the circle, pitching to a 1.39 ERA in the 201.2 innings she has pitched. Apsel entered the transfer portal at the end of last season, signing with Florida State University, leaving the spot of Hofstra’s “ace” open.
Luckily for the Pride, Emma Falen, a junior transfer from the University of California, Riverside, has stepped up. Falen has been electric in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference play, pitching to a 3.65 ERA and striking out 82 batters in 92.0 innings of work.
Falen has been playing softball for as long as she can remember. She grew up in an athletic household and played every position on the field, but pitching always stood out above the rest.
“I always had a little bit of that competitive instinct in me,” Falen said. “From the time I dedicated myself to being a pitcher, I knew I wanted to do it in high school and my college career.”
Falen’s dream of playing collegiate softball came true when she signed at the University of California, Riverside. She played there for her first two seasons, making 40 mound appearances, pitching a career total of 78 innings and striking out 29.
“Playing there was a really good experience for me,” Falen said. “I got to play in my home state. My family was able to come to games. I was able to play in a conference where I played a lot of my travel ball friends so that connection was there, and I think that environment was something really nice.”
Falen entered the transfer portal last season and landed on Hofstra after her discussions with head coach Adrienne Clark.
“I took a visit out here this July and it truly felt like home,” Falen said. “I knew that after I had a meeting with one of our coaches that this is where I wanted to be. This is where I want to finish my career. This is where I want to get my degree from. It was one of those things where I stepped on campus and it was home.”
Falen made her journey from California to Long Island with high expectations, knowing the history of the 13-time CAA Tournament Champions. She came to Hofstra with the mindset that she needed to step up.
“I knew that there was going to be certain expectations set as a junior transfer,” Falen said. “As a pitcher, your job is going to be to come in and succeed and lead, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do for this team, and that’s all that I’m going to continue to do.”
Falen started to lead right from the get-go, getting the nod on opening day against No. 23 Baylor University on Feb. 14.
“As someone who didn’t get to play in the fall season, hearing my name in that starting lineup meant everything to me,” Falen said. “I didn’t have a whole lot of starts in my career at Riverside, so coming in day one and getting the ball was honestly a dream come true. It was the fact that coach had the belief in me. She wanted the ball in my hand and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
Falen’s first start did not go as planned. She worked 6.0 innings, allowing eight hits on six walks and seven earned runs. Falen’s second appearance was against another ranked program, No. 3 Oklahoma University, on Feb. 15. She worked 3.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits.
In her first six appearances this season, Falen struggled in the circle, allowing 32 hits in 25.1 innings.
“When you face such top-notch competition and athletes who are all-American contenders, it just shows you what you are made of,” Falen said. “You know these athletes are going to punch back, and you know they aren’t scared of you, and they want to hit the ball. But as a pitcher, your job is to realize that you can compete and do just as much damage on them as they can do on you. It’s realizing if they throw a punch and get a hit … you can come back and throw a strikeout. “
Falen used the lessons she learned at the beginning of the season to bounce back, breaking out in her last few outings. After a week where Falen posted a 3-0 record, recording 16 strikeouts, she earned CAA Pitcher of the Week. She helped lead the Pride to a four-game win streak after they started the season on a 0-10 stint. Falen has helped push the Pride past the University of Delaware and Campbell University, two of the preseason favorites. She also dealt a shutout with eight strikeouts against the Fighting Camels, giving Campbell their second conference loss of the season.
“Here in conference is where it matters, and we just did that against teams that people have said were the top two teams,” Falen said. “So now I’m sitting here and I’m like, we’re next. If we keep doing what we’re doing and trusting the process, we keep putting in those hours, it’s going to be us at the end of the day.”
Since the road trip to the area, Falen and the Pride have been hot, winning nine of their last 11 games. Falen has been the key to success for the Pride, pitching in five of those six wins.
“Right now, pitching is electric, it is fun, it is so incredible to play with a team that plays with that much passion,” Falen said.
Falen has not only taken the lead at Hofstra, but has also found a reason to fight every day on the mound – her teammates.
“I play with 19 other girls I can call my friends. To find that at the Division I level in athletics is so rare nowadays, and we love each other like it’s breathing,” Falen said. “At the end of the day, we are one big family. One of our mottos is ‘we are family above all else,’ and it’s truly incredible to be a part of it.”
The Pride has shown resilience this season, sticking together through a tough start, keeping themselves in games, rallying and cheering each other on. Falen credits the team’s recent successes to this undying support.
Falen and the Pride look to keep the hot streak rolling in conference play with a series against UNC-Wilmington starting on Friday, April 11, at Bill Edwards Stadium, start of a two-series homestand.
