For senior Saira Ramakrishnan, softball was always a major aspect of life. She looked up to her sister, class of 2017 alumnus Natasha Ramakrishnan, who started playing softball from 8 years old and went on to play at Washington University in St. Louis. With her sister being a huge inspiration and having good experiences as a college athlete, Ramakrishnan set her sights on the same goal.
Unlike her sister who played many positions, Ramakrishnan had an affinity for pitching, but found it to be one of the most challenging positions on the field. Despite this, with daily practice and intense training, she quickly became a talented pitcher for the varsity softball team, even becoming a leader on her club team, the Norcal Legends.
Ramakrishnan’s experience with SHS’s athletic program left her feeling confident on her way to success in pursuing her passion after high school.
“We’ve gone through a lot of coaching changes with the [SHS] program between [Mike] Davey coaching and then taking a step back and our other coach Greg [Spirakis],” Ramakrishnan said. “But the rebuilding of the program also helped me keep in touch with why I really love the sport and wanted to take it further. Reps are reps, and playing in high school is fun because you get to play with different people [than club teams] and learn and grow in the program.”
Davey, a coach for Ramakrishnan and a key part of the SHS softball program for years, mentioned how important Ramakrishnan is to the team: “[Ramakrishnan] is a great leader. She’s always calm, even when things are falling apart around her. She’s measured and very, very good with her location pitching and hitting. And she’s just a fantastic teammate. She’s been a key player [for SHS] since her freshman year, and I would say she’s been the key player her sophomore and junior years.”
Ramakrishnan’s accolades certainly reflect her vital role within the Falcons’ team, as she earned awards for all-league defensive player in her freshman year, all-league pitcher in her sophomore year and made first team all-league in her junior year. She’s also a talented hitter with an impressive career .452 batting average.
When thinking about pursuing a college career in softball, Ramakrishnan knew that she also wanted to prioritize her academics, especially her passion in aerospace engineering. In her freshman year, she started sending clips of her games to various college coaches, and eventually heard back from many of them.
Rochester stood out to her in particular with its high-ranked research program.
“I went [to Rochester] for my official visit in September, and walking around campus I loved it. I loved the campus, I loved the people. The coaches and team were great, and they seemed like they really wanted me so they offered me while I was there. Two days later, I accepted,” Ramakrishnan said.
Despite juggling her commitments in both athletics and academics, Ramakrishnan has a clear path of her goals for her college career and beyond.
“I don’t want anything to affect how I want to keep playing and just remind myself why I fell in love with the sport in the first place whether it’s a bad game or a bad season,” Ramakrishnan said. “I fell in love with the sport because my sister did, and I just want to keep that going and hopefully help other people see the sport in the same way that I do.”
