The Calvin Sports Information Office recently caught up with junior Sydney Duong of the Calvin softball team for a question and answer session as part of NCAA D3 Week. Duong is Calvin's starting shortstop and leadoff hitter in the batting order. She is currently batting .358 with a pair of home runs.

Calvin Sports Information Office Q and A D3 Week Feature with Sydney Duong

When did you start playing softball and did you play any other sports growing up or in high school? How did softball become your focus sport?

I've played softball ever since tee ball when I was about 3 years old and I started travel softball in 4th grade. I competed for my travel team year round, and did high school softball in the spring. Growing up I also played travel soccer but then decided to quit to pursue softball full time. In high school I played basketball all four years and ran cross country for one year.

Question: How did you decide to come to Calvin to continue your career as a student-athlete?

I chose Calvin because I wanted to balance my academics, my faith, and athletics. I knew that getting my degree was a priority, but I also wanted to compete at the collegiate level, and Calvin allowed me to do that. Calvin has also given me a chance to meet other Christian athletes, and thats something I've been thankful for.

Describe what it has been like to play with the Calvin softball program, particularly last spring when your team made a great run through the conference tournament in the middle of a pandemic.

After my freshman year was taken by COVID, I feel that our mentality as a team was to go all out. We were all devastated to find out that we had a whole season canceled, so when we were finally able to play we wanted to make our run as long as possible. We fought as hard as we could in the MIAA tournament and were able to come out with a deserving win. I was very proud of how we played at regionals as well, even though our run was cut shorter than we wanted. It was awesome to play with teammates who wanted to compete as badly as I did.

What is it like to play for Coach (Becky) Hilgert?

I've loved playing for Coach Becky! She has made me realize the potential I have for the game of softball, and is always pushing me to take it up a notch. Coach makes our team inspired to dig deeper and to never settle, even when we are on top.

You've moved into the starting shortstop role and into the top of the order of the batting lineup. What do you like about playing shortstop and how is it different batting at the top of the order now?

Shortstop is a position that encompasses many different aspects of defense. It includes fielding grounders, going out to the outfield for pop flys, getting outs at second base for throw downs, and being a communicator on the field. The shortstop position also gets a lot of action on defense, and thats something I enjoy. I feel that I've done a good job at moving up to the leadoff position. When I was batting at the bottom of the order last year, I think that I thought that I could sit back, and wasn't as big of a threat. Now, hitting at the leadoff spot, I am more aggressive and want to make the opposing pitchers see me as a threat to them.

What are you majoring in academically and what do you hope to do after graduation down the road?

I'm majoring in nursing currently and I'm not currently sure of what I want to do after graduation. I am liking the pediatrics route so far, but still have a lot to experience during clinical hours. 

Why has Division III (athletics) been a good choice for you?

Division III athletics has been the right choice for me because I've been able to balance softball with school. We pride ourselves on the fact that we can balance achieving our future careers with competing at the collegiate level. D3 athletics shouldn't be overlooked, because we have just as much hard work and love for our sport as any other athlete does. This has been the best choice for me.