United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Softball

Courtesy of
TOM YANTZ | The Hartford Courant
April 21, 2009

When Hayley Feindel recalls Hurricane Katrina, one of the things that quickly comes to mind is the Coast Guard.

"My backyard goes back to the levee and the Mississippi River," said Feindel, a resident of River Ridge, La., a suburb of New Orleans. "Every day after Katrina hit us, I'd see Coast Guard boats patrolling out there and its helicopters flying over.

"Our house needed a new roof, fence and shed, so we weren't hurt as badly as others. But I saw how the Coast Guard helped and saved people in the city I love. So I wanted to give back."

Feindel is a freshman at the Coast Guard Academy and the best pitcher on its softball team.

She's 26-1 with a 0.85 ERA and leads Division III in victories. The Bears (32-2) set school records for victories and consecutive wins (28). She has set team records for strikeouts in a season (264) and has tied the record for wins as the team continues its quest to qualify for its first NCAA tournament.

"At this stage, she's the best pitcher I've had, and this is the best team I've had," said coach Donna Koczajowski, in her 12th season.

Feindel has posted impressive numbers after not playing a competitive game since spring 2007 at Lutheran High in Metairie, La. She was valedictorian of her class of 26.

Last year she attended New Mexico Military Institute, which didn't have a team, to prepare for Coast Guard.

"I always had an interest in the military," she said. "But I wasn't sure where to go. My traveling team softball coach Doug Blakemore had gone to Coast Guard, so I did talk to him a little."

Still, the aftermath of Katrina in 2005 made Feindel's college decision an easy call.

"Fourteen feet of water and my grandmother, uncle, cousins and others lost their homes in New Orleans," Feindel said. "My grandma Elsie never went back. She and my aunt moved to Georgia. We had to go there, too, for four to five months after we had to evacuate our home."

When Feindel arrived on the Coast Guard campus in New London last year, she knew she made the right choice. The government major has dominated most opponents with a rising fastball.

She's scheduled to start in the NEWMAC tournament opener in New London Wednesday (5 p.m.) when top-seeded Coast Guard, No. 22 in the nation, plays the Springfield-Babson winner.

"What I've been able to do is more than I could have imagined," she said. "All I wanted to do was get a few wins and help the team. But listen, I'm nothing without the whole team. We've got great fielders. If a ball is hit on the ground, I know we'll get the out. That allows me to throw with confidence."

And as Coast Guard has won 28 consecutive games, Feindel hasn't altered her pregame routine, one she has had since high school.

"I call my dad [Bobby] and then listen to some George Strait songs for a while," she said. "I don't know if it all fires me up or mellows me. But whatever it is, I'm going to keep on doing it."