Records are meant to be broken, and Chelsea Manto stepped up to the plate. The Hofstra University center fielder broke the program record for all-time stolen bases with 84 on Friday, March 8. That number only continues to grow as the season goes on, and Manto will likely go down as the greatest base stealer in Hofstra softball history.

Everybody has their own goals, whether it’s getting their dream job or breaking records in their sport. Manto had her eyes on the prize early on.

“The stolen base record has been a goal I’ve been reaching for since I was a freshman,” Manto said. “It feels so great to be able to accomplish that goal. Stealing bases is what my game is about, as well as getting hits.”

Manto now has her eyes set on 200 hits and is just 20 away from reaching that goal. Even though these are personal accolades, Manto works hard for her team and the rest is just a bonus.

“The more times that I can steal a base, it puts me in scoring position, which is a better position for the team,” Manto said.

Hofstra softball head coach Adrienne Clark spoke about what this means for the program.

“While this is an individual record, it’s a direct reflection of this program and everything we do year after year to push the standards and reach new heights,” Clark said.

Coaches dream of having a batter that slaps for singles and turns that single into a double by stealing second base directly after.

“I could put her anywhere in the lineup,” Clark said. “Someone with speed, the nine or the one spot is a great spot for them. When you’re in the one spot, it starts the game, and when you’re in the ninth spot, you turn the lineup over. From that standpoint, to have anybody with her caliber of speed, those two spots are the most important spots to put your speed.”

Manto knew she had what it took to accomplish this goal since she arrived at Hofstra. Clark also saw that potential from the moment she saw her run for the first time in 2022.

“‘Wow, she’s fast.’ That was my initial impression,” Clark said. “She’s going to make the defenses go crazy with how dynamic she is. When you see anyone with elite speed, I think what any coach would think [is], ‘The possibilities are endless,’ and ‘How do we get her there?’ There wasn’t a doubt in my mind [that Manto could break this record]. When you have the athleticism that she possesses organically, it’s now a matter of coaching her up and putting her in positions to be able to steal bases.”

Base stealing isn’t just running to the next base when the rules allow you to – there’s preparation that goes into it.

“Before the game or when the pitcher and catcher are warming up, I always make sure to look at the catcher’s throw to see what type of arm she has,” Manto said. “Then I try to work on my timing with the pitcher’s release point because being off by a split second makes a huge impact. When I’m on base and I get the steal sign, I focus [on] second base, while also paying attention to the batter in case they make contact with the ball. I always tell myself, ‘I’m going to get there, I’m going to be safe. I’m going to slide in hard and the player is going to miss the tag.’”

“Anytime an athlete can reach accomplishments like this, it speaks volumes to who they are and the work that they put in,” Clark said. “Manto breaking this record is no different than that. Being able to see her accomplish a feat like this for herself is one of the moments as a coach where you get to just be proud. I’m proud of her for what she’s done.”

Players that can break records have something in them that others might not. It could be an elite skill or the ultimate drive to improve, but mostly, it’s the effort they put in.

“Outside of her speed itself, her commitment to the weight room, to her physical performance, being able to be as strong and as fast, speaks volumes to the commitment she’s made to better herself physically,” Clark said. “I think that any time you have athletes that train at an elite level, like [Manto], she’s only gotten faster. I think a direct reflection of that is her getting stronger. For her to make the commitment to be as strong as she possibly can is why I think she put herself in the position for this, in addition to her work ethic.”

Manto didn’t just wake up and steal 84 bases; it took countless hours of hard work in the weight room during the off season, running the bases during practice, improving all facets of her game and mastering her craft.

“Last year we focused a lot on getting her to swing harder, stand in and hit some deep fly balls,” Clark said. “I’ll never forget the first time she hit a sacrifice fly in a game; it was the coolest thing ever because we had practiced that all week long and then she immediately hit a sac fly a week later. We [as coaches] said, ‘See, you can do that too.’ So I appreciate her coachability, and I think that is how she has continued to improve in all of her skill sets.”

Manto has a piece of advice on how to steal the most bases you possibly can, which she gives to younger athletes who attend off-season camps with the team.

“The best time to push your limits is during practice,” Manto said. “When you’re base running in practice, see how far you can go on a base hit. Push your limits because you’ll surprise yourself; I always surprise myself. There are so many parts to the game: hitting, defense and base running, which is sometimes overlooked. If you really focus on base running in practice and hitting the base correctly, taking the best angles, taking the best rounds off base, you’ll surprise yourself when you turn a single into a double in a real game.”

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Atheltics/Chris Henry