WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT
By Avi Mehta
Amanda Reser is changing her batting stance going into final season of college softball.
Reser, a Linfield University softball player, has been a left-handed hitter for the past nine years but is making the switch this spring to become right-handed hitter. During her first three seasons as a Wildcat, she’s primarily appeared as a field player, but hopes that by making the switch to the other side of the plate, she can have a greater offensive impact with the team.
Changing her stance was “mentally challenging at first,” says Reser. “I was worse as a right-handed hitter than from the left. Slowly but surely, it’s getting better.”
The team-first attitude exemplified by Reser is instilled into every Linfield softball student-athlete from the day they arrive on campus. Reser fully embraces the selfless culture of the Wildcats’ highly successful program.
“Over the past few seasons, Amanda has won team awards as the hardest worker in the softball program and as the best teammate in the program,” says longtime Linfield coach Jackson Vaughan.
“These are awards voted on by her teammates and I’m pretty certain she is the only player we have ever had win both awards during her career. Her work ethic, commitment to excellence and selflessness are at a level that most people will never reach.”
Among those who voted for Reser for the awards is Kelsey Wilkinson. She says she would love to see every Wildcat emulate Reser’s approach to the game.
“Amanda is an exemplary teammate that every single person wishes they had on their team. In fact, most people would probably say they wish they had a team full of people like her,” says Wilkinson.
Reser grew up in Tigard, Oregon, and began playing organized softball at a young age at the tee-ball level. Her uncle, Marty, had a big influence on her playing competitively, which eventually led to opportunity to play in college.
“Marty’s daughter played competitively at the club level. He talked to me about playing club softball because I was only playing Little League at the time. He convinced me to start playing and I had a blast doing it,” adds Reser.
She played soccer when she was younger and also tried wrestling, because her brothers were wrestlers. At Tualatin High School, Reser gave the sport of cross country a try, but quickly found out that running long distances didn’t gel with being a softball infielder. After suffering an injury, she decided to it was best to focus exclusively on softball.
Coming out of high school, playing college softball was a big priority for Reser. So too was making sure her education always came first and that her studies would lead to an opportunity to work in the sports industry after college. Originally, she wanted to go to a school far from home, but the chance to play for Linfield’s nationally ranked softball program was too good to pass up.
She was part of club softball team that had multiple players go on to play in college, opening the door for Reser to visit a number of different colleges and participate in recruiting showcases.
“I went to a lot of different softball camps hosted by colleges. Linfield was the one which I did not dread. It was the only school I applied to and fell in love when I came,” says Reser.
Reser is a finance major with a minor in sport management. She hopes to get her foot in the door in the industry by landing an entry-level position within a college athletic department or professional sports organization.
At Linfield, she has been able to immerse herself in the operations side of a sports team, working as a student-manager for the Linfield football program for three years.
Her work-study position has taught her a lot, she says.
“Softball is such a smaller team compared to over 150 players on football. You are there to make life easier for the coaches and the student-athletes,” says Reser, who works alongside equipment manager, Mack Farag.
She also helps out with the family business, Reser’s Fine Foods, which is a prepared foods producer. During the COVID-19 pandemic when classes at Linfield went remote, she worked full-time at her family’s company. That meant waking up at 3:30 a.m. to be at work by 5:00, while still being the perfect college student-athlete.
“To play softball, have a 4.0 GPA, serve as manager for the football program, work for the family business using nearly all of her free time, and still be a great teammate and friend is nothing short of impressive,” says Vaughan.
The Wildcats were ranked No. 7 in the country when the 2020 season was abruptly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reser says the sudden stoppage was sad for her, but she felt worse for many of the seniors who had their playing careers cut short.
“It was pretty detrimental. We had a good thing going with our team and we were all excited to see how far we could go,” says Reser.
“The seniors had the opportunity to come back but many had jobs already lined up and they didn’t want to ruin those opportunities. It was heartbreaking to see the seniors leave.”
Wilkinson is one of two seniors who have returned for a fifth season. She is looking forward to playing with Reser again this spring.
“Most of the time, I think Amanda has these super powers that make her work harder than anyone else without ever being fazed or wanting to take the easy route. And not just in softball. In everything she does, Amanda is the definition of a ‘grinder,’” adds Wilkinson.
Linfield returned to in-person classes in the fall and the Wildcats were able to conduct practices, albeit with new protocols, such as wearing masks and working in smaller groups.
“We usually do a lot more team bonding, but that’s hard to do that in a safe way. We’ve made do with what we can, like having a movie night outside in our batting cage,” says Reser.
Though she has been granted two more years of athletic eligibility by the NCAA due to the pandemic, Reser does not plan on using the extra seasons. She wants to go out and start exploring the job market.
“Amanda is a very special individual,” says Vaughan. “I know she’ll be very successful at whatever she chooses to pursue in her life after Linfield.”
Credits:
Kelly Bird, Ryan Gardner and Amanda Reser