Andover Softball Co-Captain Fallon O’Connor ’23 has been playing softball since sixth grade. Initially, she was convinced to try the sport by her mom, who played when she was younger, so O’Connor decided to see if she would love the sport as much as her mom.
According to Leila Boesch-Powers ’24, O’Connor is a leader that treats each member of the team with kindness and is able to bounce back from just about anything that she faces.
Boesch-Powers said, “Fallon is one of the friendliest people I know. She always, always has a smile on her face and [is] laughing about something. She bounces back faster than anybody I’ve ever seen. If she gets hit by a ball or if she walks somebody she’s just very easygoing in that sense. And she’s also extremely friendly to every single person on the team regardless of level of talent and grade. She’s just an overall very inspiring captain and softball player.”
When O’Connor was a lowerclassmen, she looked up to her Co-Captains and considered them to be role models for her. O’Connor hopes to have a similar influence on the lowerclassmen on the team. She intends for her teammates to consider her a role model and a relatable friend.
O’Connor said, “For me, I think it’s to bring positivity and also instruction…and when I had Captains when I was an underclassman, I always looked up to them. So just being a role model, but also being super personable and being able to relate on a friend level is also nice too. Being able to look up to someone but also be friends with them I think is great.”
Angie Ceballos Cardona ’25 explained how O’Connor may look intimidating based on her high skill level, but is a “kind-hearted” and “humble” player dedicated to Andover Softball. O’Connor was named MVP of the Big East Tournament, and according to Cardona, the award was well deserved.
“I have so much love for Fallon and she’s one of the best athletes on our team and she’s just so humble about it. She’s so kind-hearted, I think she looks intimidating but she’s very soft, she’s so hardworking and I think she proves every single day why she was the MVP of the tournament and she’s really taking this team on her back and really brought us some big wins…and she just works hard every single day. And again, I don’t think she lets her being committed to a college really get to her. She still works [hard for] the team every single practice,” said Cardona.
Boesch-Powers highlighted the importance of the Co-Captain role on the team. Since softball has a large roster, this means that it is often difficult to create camaraderie. Boesch-Powers commented on how it is a captain’s role to unite the team and maintain a high level of play.
Boesch-Powers said, “The softball team is a very big team, so I think it’s especially important for captains to be able to unite the team and…be there to foster that sort of inclusive environment while also maintaining the level that we play at. [Also] just always encouraging everybody to do their best and encouraging everyone to get better.”
Cardona described how O’Connor lifts up the team in every moment. When the team is feeling down on themselves after a mistake, it can count on O’Connor to lift it back up.
“I think she really just brings people up in times of disappointment. [There are] times where I really wanted to come up for the team and I tried my best but I wasn’t able to. It happens, mistakes happen. This game is about failure. Fallon is one of those people that really picks other people up, reminds them that they belong, that there’s a reason why they’re there, why they’re in the lineup. I think she really helps the people around her believe in themselves,” said Cardona.
