Despite growing up in a family of lacrosse players, Co-Captain Maris Moody ’24 found softball through her own genuine interest in the sport. As she continued to play, her love grew from the combination of skill and strategy that the sport requires, and today, she leads Andover’s team as a strong example of leadership and versatility.
When she first arrived at Andover, Moody was an infielder, but she ended up shifting to the outfield as well and now frequently jumps between positions. She noted how the unexpected change has influenced the ways through which she expresses her leadership to the team.
Moody said, “In my leadership [role], I think that you have to be flexible in this sport, especially coming onto the Andover team where you’re coming in where girls have already been in positions for years, so you have to switch up what you already know. So, not necessarily being a utility player, but being flexible about how and where you can play, that’s the message I want to spread.”
Andie Shim ’25 highlighted Moody’s ability to be a multi-faceted player, using her athletic prowess and discipline to motivate her teammates.
Shim said, “She balances [athleticism] as a captain by encouraging people, not to get where she is, but to be the best versions of themselves. She’s your biggest supporter in wherever you are and however long you’ve played softball, in whatever you’ve been doing.”
Together with Co-Captain Emerson Buckley ’25, Moody has worked to establish new team traditions and values. Inspired by their former coach, Jamie Hagermann Phinney, they created “URAC,” an acronym that stands for unity, resilience, accountability, and confidence.
“Those are the team values that we uphold, and we’ve just started a couple of small traditions like in Florida at spring training, we started a homerun hat tradition. So, when someone hits a home run and we all crowd home plate, they take off their helmet and put on this giant cowboy hat that’s all decorated. Just things like that,” said Moody.
Working closely together and sharing a tight friendship, Buckley sees Moody as a valuable partner and suitable co-captain. Similarly to Moody, Buckley echoed their effort to nurture a positive team culture.
“I know so many of the younger girls look up to her and I do too… Co-captaining with [her] has been amazing, we are actually really good friends, so it’s been both fun and productive. We have worked really hard on team values while also trying to make sure this season is as fun as possible. We both care a lot about the team and so I think that makes us really compatible as captains,” said Buckley.
Moody always showcases support for her teammates, noted Shim. She recalled Moody’s high-energy cheering in the dugout.
“Whenever I come back into the dugout and I’ve gotten a hit, she’ll always be one of the people congratulating me. I know all of my teammates do it, but she especially will go out of her way and say, ‘Wow, that was an amazing hit.’ I know that, not just in my videos, but I will play back film from the game most times, and I can always hear her cheering from the bench,” said Shim.
Reflecting on her years with Andover Softball, Moody hopes to take inspiration from the things she learned from her Junior Year mentor. As the only Senior, she expressed her excitement to serve as a similar role model to her teammates.
“I am the only Senior on the team right now — and my Freshman Year there was only one Senior on the team and she was captain as well. Her name is Katie Morris, and she was the best mentor for me ever, so I think that going into my last year and being able to step into the captain role, I want to be the same person that Katie was for me especially to these younger girls. I do my best to be a friend as much as I am also a leader, and that’s something that’s really important to me,” said Moody.
